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Opening the Black Box of Innovation Processes in Virtual Communities

In: Proceedings of the ENTRENOVA - ENTerprise REsearch InNOVAtion Conference, Dubrovnik, Croatia, 7-9 September 2017

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  • Sarma, Meera

Abstract

Communities involved in free and open source activities possess special structural and processual characteristics that are conducive to innovative product development on-line. We suggest that this form of innovative, knowledgegenerating, community may benefit from being seen within the framework of virtual process research using Virtual Ethnography (VE). In order to analyse the virtual ethnographic observations, innovative software research tools, such as the 'IRC Conversation Map', had to be devised. The investigation explored the structural and temporal dynamics of the community through the examination of interactions between members, as they unfolded in virtual space. In this way, we show how the themes that constitute the innovation process emerge from everyday routines that members of the hacker community perform. This paper contributes to the methodology of process research by exploring strategies that allow qualitative researchers to examine virtual organized activities through a process lens.

Suggested Citation

  • Sarma, Meera, 2017. "Opening the Black Box of Innovation Processes in Virtual Communities," Proceedings of the ENTRENOVA - ENTerprise REsearch InNOVAtion Conference (2017), Dubrovnik, Croatia, in: Proceedings of the ENTRENOVA - ENTerprise REsearch InNOVAtion Conference, Dubrovnik, Croatia, 7-9 September 2017, pages 258-265, IRENET - Society for Advancing Innovation and Research in Economy, Zagreb.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:entr17:183784
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. von Krogh, Georg & Spaeth, Sebastian & Lakhani, Karim R., 2003. "Community, joining, and specialization in open source software innovation: a case study," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(7), pages 1217-1241, July.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Hackers; Innovation; Open Source Software; Innovation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O3 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights

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