Networking beyond the software code? an explorative examination of the development of an open source car project

At present several initiatives have emerged that claim to be innovative while acting according to the mechanisms of open source software (OSS) a field frequently deemed to be a role model for open innovation Against this background this study focuses on a case study of the development of an automobile Based on a commons-based peer production-Informed perspective we show that this project displays a variety of characteristics that are usually associated with OSS projects In particular parallels can be drawn between the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations the ability to broadcast ideas due to the virtual nature of the tasks and the self-selection of tasks due to their modular nature The drawing of such parallels however must be done cautiously because diverse factors such as opportunity costs regulations and feasibility studies limit the applicability of OSS principles to this non-software related network of dispersed voluntary contributors within a commons-based peer production framework Herein we attempt to clarify how OSS projects can and cannot work as role models for open innovation in the automotive as well as other product-oriented industries (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved