A Foot in Two Camps: The Impact of Being Embedded in Multiple Work-Related Organizations on an OSS Developer's Turnover and Job Mobility

Software development work often requires a developer to simultaneously engage two organizations. Outsourcing, consulting, and open-source software (OSS) development exemplify such situations. These work arrangements involve challenges and benefits, particularly for developers' attachment to organizations. We synthesize job embeddedness theory with the concept of symbolic capital to understand how a developer's engagement with two organizations influences the developer's relationship with their primary employer and their movement between employers. We test our model with two studies using survey and archival data from 608 developers. We find developer embeddedness in an OSS community increases turnover from their employer and increases job mobility. Further, our results show symbolic capital (via knowledge and social standing) links OSS embeddedness to job mobility.