Recognition as an Alternative Form of Work Organization: A Case Study of Three Free/Libre Open‐Source Software Projects

ABSTRACT Free/libre open‐source software (FLOSS) projects are Internet‐based initiatives that organize work without any remuneration or task prescription. Although celebrated by some authors and criticized by others, few studies have attempted to understand what alternative form of work organization (AFWO) replaces the contract‐based organization in these projects. Some critical authors propose that recognition may constitute a noncontractual form of organization, a perspective that has not generated uniform agreement among scholars. Therefore, we explore the enabling conditions of recognition‐based organization in FLOSS projects by studying the cases of Wiktionary, OpenStreetMap, and Debian. First, we show that what we call “recognition‐based organizations” manifest themselves in interpersonal practices organizing work quality and utility, and which are the result of a tension between the contributors' need for a sense of pride and meaningfulness, and the absence of remuneration and prescriptive tasks. We then suggest, on the basis of four discussed proposals, that the autonomy and gratuitousness of FLOSS projects must coexist in order to constitute a sustainable AFWO, or else risk giving rise to phenomena of struggle for recognition or isolation.