Exploring the interplay between FLOSS adoption and organizational innovation

Abstract

Growing research on Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) has addressed a variety of questions focusing on aspects ranging from open source development processes and developer motivation, to economic and policymaking implications. Nevertheless, a few authors have examined the adoption of FLOSS and its impact on organizational change and innovation. Adoption studies represent a particularly promising area for information system researchers to investigate the relationship between the specific properties of FLOSS and the processes of implementation and use. The goal of this article is to contribute to this field of research by discussing a former multitargeted research agenda and by defining an empirically grounded framework for studying FLOSS adoption, drawing on the outcomes of an exploratory multiple case study involving sixteen Italian public administrations. © 2011 by the Association for Information Systems.