TY - CONF

T1 - Open source guilds

T2 - enabling micro­ businesses to create a sustainable community of practice?

AU - Larner, Justin

PY - 2013

Y1 - 2013

N2 - This paper outlines how the concept of open source guilds was developed through undertaking a pilot action research project with three micro-businesses in the North West of England as co-researchers. The research initially aimed to explore how a virtual guild could enable micro-businesses to move towardssustainability by creating a community of practice based on open source principles. However, research findings raised the issue of both the business and its community needing to become sustainable. The open source guild addresses this issue by adding the proprietary aspect of the original medieval guilds, enabling a micro-business to defend its core intellectual property whilecreating a sustainable community based on shared values that operates both off-and on-line.

AB - This paper outlines how the concept of open source guilds was developed through undertaking a pilot action research project with three micro-businesses in the North West of England as co-researchers. The research initially aimed to explore how a virtual guild could enable micro-businesses to move towardssustainability by creating a community of practice based on open source principles. However, research findings raised the issue of both the business and its community needing to become sustainable. The open source guild addresses this issue by adding the proprietary aspect of the original medieval guilds, enabling a micro-business to defend its core intellectual property whilecreating a sustainable community based on shared values that operates both off-and on-line.

KW - open source

KW - guilds

KW - Micro-Businesses

KW - sustainability

M3 - Conference paper

ER -