Open Source Value Co-Creation: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Open source is a particularly fascinating phenomenon in the Information Technology (IT) industry.Individual developers, business organizations, and public welfare organizations come together to produce free public goods, many of which have become the infrastructure of the digital world.This paper tries to set a new conception of Open Source Value Co-Creation (OSVCC) to describe and understand how Open Source Communities(OSCs) create value.The paper reviews previous research papers on the value creation of open source, which were gathered from the Web of Science Database and used or discarded according to predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria.This paper defines the concept of OSVCC and summarizes its core characteristics: openness, collaboration, sharing, and liberty.The study finds that these four core characteristics have a significant impact on the success of open source projects.The core features of OSVCC are summarized based on existing studies, which provide a basis for further research.It is suggested to study the relationship between OSVCC and the company's competitive strategy.