Task, Value, and Demand Alignment for Open Source Use in Organisations

Abstract: Irrespective of increased adoption, continued use of open source software (oss) in organizations remains a persistent challenge. Lack of alignment between the task, value of oss, and demands to meet task requirements often deter the use of oss. In this study, we posit that fit between task and oss (task-oss fit), fit between individual’s values and an organization’s values relevant to their beliefs about free/libre value of oss (value-based fit), and fit between demand of work and oss skills of the individual (demand-abilities fit), influence the performance derived from oss use. We hypothesize that value-based fit and demand-abilities fit have an interaction effect on task-oss fit to influence productivity performance. We test our hypothesized effects using a survey of 149 it professionals using oss in their respective organizations. Results partially support the hypothesized effects. We discuss managerial implications and contributions of the findings.

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Authors: Sudhir Chawla, Kaushik Ghosh