The Effects of Communication Patterns on the Success of Open Source Software Projects: An Empirical Analysis from Social Network Perspectives

Drawing on the theoretical lens of communication patterns in organizational theory, this research analyzed the longitudinal success of open source software (OSS) projects by employing social network analysis method, based on extensive analyses of empirical data. This study is expected to provide an understanding on how communication patterns established in different roles and different levels. The authors not only measured OSS success from both developers and users’ perspectives, but also extended the existing research by including the potential relationships among these success measures in the estimation model. Following the panel data econometric analysis methodology, they evaluated their research hypotheses using the Three-Stage Least Squares model, accounting for both time-period and project fixed effects. The authors’ results indicated that according to the objectives of projects, a proper and planned control for the communication among team members is crucial for the success of OSS projects. KEywORdS Communication Patterns, Open Source, Panel Data Analysis, Social Network Analysis, Success, Three-Stage Least Squares