Impact of individualism and collectivism cultural profiles on the behaviour of software developers: A study of stack overflow

Abstract

Literature is scarce on culture and its impact on the behavioural patterns within software development communities. However, globalisation in software development has intensified the need for software development teams to navigate culture issues to ensure the successful implementation of projects. Therefore, the current study examines whether the effects of culture on software developers conform to Hofstede's individualism cultural dimension. Individualism is studied because of its established negative impacts on teamwork, which is central to software development. Data comprised artefacts from Stack Overflow, a popular online programming community. Developers were from the United States (US), China, and Russia, three countries that differ in terms of their individualistic or collectivistic cultures. Data mining techniques, as well as statistical, linguistic, and content analysis were used to compare the orientation, attitudes, interaction, and knowledge sharing patterns of the three groups of developers. Differences revealed among the three groups were consistent with their cultural backgrounds. US developers, who are from a more individualistic culture, had higher average reputations, used the pronoun “I” more frequently, and were more task-focused. Conversely, Chinese developers, who are from a more collectivistic culture, used the pronouns “we” and “you” more frequently, and were more likely to engage in information exchange. Russian developers had been using Stack Overflow the longest and were the most reflective. The cultural patterns identified in this study have implications for enhancing in-group interactions and team behaviour management during software development, especially when global teams assemble.