Open collaboration is "any system of innovation or production that relies on goal-oriented yet loosely coordinated participants who interact to create a product of economic value, which they make available to contributors and noncontributors alike." It is prominently observed in open source software, but can also be found in many other instances, such as in Internet forums, mailing lists and online communities. Open collaboration is also thought to be the operating principle underlining a gamut of diverse ventures, including bitcoin, TEDx, and Wikipedia.
Overview
Open collaboration is the principle underlying peer production, mass collaboration, and wikinomics. It was observed initially in open source software, but can also be found in many other instances, such as in Internet forums, mailing lists, Internet communities, and many instances of open content, such as creative commons. It also explains some instances of crowdsourcing, collaborative consumption, and open innovation. Riehle et al. define open collaboration as collaboration based on three principles of egalitarianism, meritocracy, and self-organization. White and White define open collaboration as "any system of innovation or production that relies on goal-oriented yet loosely coordinated participants who interact to create a product of economic value, which they make available to contributors and noncontributors alike." This definition captures multiple instances, all joined by similar principles. For example, all of the elements — goods of economic value, open access to contribute and consume, interaction and exchange, purposeful yet loosely coordinated work — are present in an open sourcesoftware project, in Wikipedia, or in a user forum or community. They can also be present in a commercial website that is based on user-generated content. In all of these instances of open collaboration, anyone can contribute and anyone can freely partake in the fruits of sharing, which are produced by interacting participants who are loosely coordinated. An annual conference dedicated to the research and practice of open collaboration is the International Symposium on Open Collaboration. As per its website, the group defines open collaboration as "collaboration that is egalitarian, meritocratic and self-organizing."
