Research project

Beyond Organisational Boundaries: Open Source Digital Infrastructure in the Delivery of Products and Services

Project overview

Our cross disciplinary study investigates the organisational location of Open Source (OS) software. We compare commercial and public sector case studies to understand OS work from the perspective of employers and their workforce. Our innovative research design involves web scraping contributor data and qualitative interviews with software developers and senior staff. We explore where, why and how OS software reconfigures work practices and cultures within and beyond organisational boundaries. This study promises valuable insights into both the sustainability of OS digital infrastructure and the future of work.

The development of business products and services underpinned by open source (OS) digital infrastructure is widespread if little understood. Organisations embedding OS software in what they deliver to customers and users raises important questions about how that work is resourced and managed within and beyond organisational boundaries. As such, these practices offer valuable insights into how digital technologies are transforming work.

Staff

Lead researchers

Dr Rebecca Taylor

Associate Professor

Research interests

  • Conceptualising work and the boundaries between paid and unpaid labour
  • Digital labour and work in the digital economy
  • Data, software and ethics
Connect with Rebecca
Other researchers

Professor Mark Weal

Professor

Research interests

  • Digital Health
  • Behavioural Interventions
  • Semantic Web
Connect with Mark

Collaborating research institutes, centres and groups

Research outputs