Abstract: The open source software phenomenon can be studied from a variety of perspectives. Given that much of the work on open source project has been accomplished by volunteers, one popular thread has been to examine the motivation of those who engage in open source software development. If motivation wanes, predictably there would be fewer contributions to open source projects. This paper reviews relevant literature on open source software, highlighting a recently published study that offers a prescription for future research based on social practice theory. The literature review herein also examines research on the motivation of computer programmers, the motivation of volunteers, and the personality of programmers. Next this paper weaves together those various research threads. This paper concludes with recommendations for a different direction for expanding the research on open source software developers’ motivation by blending the extensive findings on job design of computer programming positions, research on motivation of volunteers, and research on programmer personalities. The paper ends with recommendations for future research hypotheses.

Keywords: Motivation, Open Source Software, programmer, volunteerism, work design

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Recommended Citation: Carpenter, D. A. (2013). Open Source Software Volunteerism vs. Motivating Potential of Primary Employment: Suggestions for a Research Agenda. Journal of Information Systems Applied Research, 6(2) pp 22-30. http://jisar.org/2013-6/ ISSN: 1946-1836. (A preliminary version appears in The Proceedings of CONISAR 2012)