Engagement and Satisfaction in OS Software Development: The Impact of Job Characteristics
Keywords:
business, economics, OS, software development, engagement, job characteristics, job satisfactionAbstract
Open source (OS) developers are contributing value to organizations and society as most contemporary organizations–including those that resisted their new way of developing software–now rely on the contributions of OS developers. This study examines the influence of job characteristics as drivers of engagement and satisfaction of developers in the OS environment. Using the job characteristics model (JCM) as the theoretical lens, we develop and assess a research model that examines engagement as a mediator in the relationship between job characteristics and satisfaction of OS developers. Findings indicate that several, but not all, job characteristics significantly influence the engagement of IS professionals working in Open-source software development (OSSD). The research contributes to the OS literature and extends our understanding of job characteristics, in the OSSD context. The study also provides new insight to organizations and individuals that are currently investing in OSSD or planning to do so soon.
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