Workplace warriors: identifying team practices of appropriation in software ecosystems

Abstract

Since the 1990s, the forms of production, distribution, configuration and appropriation of software have changed fundamentally. Nowadays, software is often embedded in software ecosystems, i.e. in complex interrelations between different stakeholders who are connected by a shared technological platform. In our paper, we investigate how small software teams deal with the challenges of appropriating and configuring software in the Eclipse ecosystem for their daily work. We empirically identify three different approaches for dealing with appropriation in software ecosystems which are represented by the "ideal types" lone warrior, centralized organization, and collegial collaboration. Based on a discussion of these strategies and the underlying appropriation practices we found in the field, we suggest theoretical and practical implications for supporting appropriation in software ecosystems.