社会网络理论下“大众生产”组织的网络治理研究

Research on Network Governance of Peer Production Organization:Based on the Theory of Social Network

大众生产是在web2.0信息技术环境下,在知识产品的生产领域中出现的一种新型的组织模式。大众生产的兴起正在重塑着经济生产主体与生产方式、企业创新模式与组织模式。在没有经济激励、正式组织的情况下,大众生产何以高效地创造出Linux系统、维基百科、百度百科等复杂的知识产品?本文以社会网络理论为基础,通过对大众生产社区参与者进行问卷调查获得数据,对大众生产组织的网络治理机制进行了实证研究。研究论证了大众生产网络的结构、关系、认知维度作用于组织行为进而影响组织绩效的治理机制。因此,大众生产的项目管理者应当鼓励成员间加强交流合作,提高其对社区的认知水平,改善参与者的参与行为,进而提高大众生产的组织绩效,以此推动知识与技术创新。

Peer production is a new organization mode appeared in the field of knowledge production under the condition of information technology, which is ＂a knowledge production mode consisting of participants scattered a- round the world using internet to collaboratively provide and share knowledge product＂. The concept of ＂Peer pro- duction＂ was first proposed by Harvard scholar Benkler and deepened since then. Open system,large number of par- ticipants, not pursuing economic rewards, spontaneous interaction and collaboration are the most distinctive charac- teristics of this mode from firms and markets. Open source software like Linux operating system, Wikipedia, Baidu Encyclopedia, etc. are the knowledge production produced by this highly efficient mode. The spirit of open, sharing and cost free advocated by open source software also promote the development and open source of university cour- ses, library opening movement and smart phone operating system. Many of the traditional industry companies are u- sing peer production mode. Procter ＆ Gamble, Dell, Starbucks and other companies have set up a special website to invite consumers and other external personnel to provide products innovative ideas and designs. Customers and the general public are becoming principal parts of value creation, self-organizing in virtual community, implementing ＂open innovation＂, which is the revolution to production methods, organizational models and innovative model brought by peer production. The rapid development of peer production proposed a ＂mystery＂ to organization theory. The main producers of peer production consists of thousands of participants scattered around the woad, all of whom basically never met, generally without financial reward,only communicate through Internet,join or exit at any time without any restric- tions . How can such a loosely organization efficiently provide public knowledge products like high-qualified operat- ing system and encyclopedias？ Most previous studies focused on the participants＇ motivation, incentive mechanism, and the research of operational mechanism is clearly insufficient. Peer production depends on topological interaction between participants. Network governance is the internal operation mechanism of peer production which makes it or- ganized and completed outputs process. In this paper, based on social network theory, we focus on the network oper- ating mechanism of peer production, attempting to resolve the peer production ＂mystery＂. Social networks theory is the study of actor ＂relationship＂ and network ＂structure＂. It is feasible to apply so- cial network theory to explain the interactive collaborative peer production organization based on internet. This study apply embedding theory, preliminary suggest that peer production forming a network governance mechanisms through structural embedding, embedding and cognitive embedding which acts on organizational behavior in peer production, thereby enabling it continuously develop and produce performance. Thus the participants＇ willingness to sustainable participate, in this study, will be interpreted as explained variable variables, three embedded dimensions as explana- tory variable, and the intermediary role of organizational behavior will be explored. Based on the obtainable data from the questionnaire survey conducted on peer production community partici- pants,we do empirical research on the organization＇ s network governance mechanisms of peer production. The re- search demonstrates that peer production＇ s network structures, relationships, cognitive dimension effect on organiza- tional behavior, thereby affecting organizational performance operating mechanism. Therefore, the project managers of peer production should be encouraged to strengthen opinion exchanging and cooperation among members, and im- prove their level of knowledge of the community and participation behavior, thereby increasing organizational per- formance of peer production and promoting knowledge and technological innovation.