Abstract
What happens when an organization form that has emerged in one context is brought into a different context? Specifically, what happens when open source software development (OSSD), which has emerged as a form of peer-to-peer, spontaneous, self-regulated organizing outside of traditional organizations, is adopted and adapted by a traditional, hierarchical, high-performing software development organization? Using an actor-network theory (ANT) approach, this paper explores the process by which Hewlett-Packard (HP) molded open source software development into a proprietary software development approach called "Progressive Open Source" (POS). With the help of actor-network theory, we understand this as a process of translation and find that some of the central characteristics of OSSD where lost in the translation into POS, but also that other characteristics were gained. We also find that the changes in the character of POS compared to OSSD were partly unanticipated and unplanned and that they can be understood as a result of negotiations, tinkering and interlocking of actors. Implications for research and for organizations considering adoption of OSSD are discussed.