{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,28]],"date-time":"2026-04-28T20:12:16Z","timestamp":1777407136179,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":55,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2012,6,1]],"date-time":"2012-06-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1338508800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2012,6,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Purpose<\/jats:title><jats:p>In this paper the authors aim to investigate the importance of factors for the adoption of free\/libre open source software (FLOSS) in the public sector. They seek to evaluate how different factors impact during the initiation and implementation phases of the adoption process.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Design\/methodology\/approach<\/jats:title><jats:p>The authors base the methodological approach on two exploratory case studies with a contrasting result logic. They build a multi\u2010level framework grounded both on literature review, and feedback from stakeholders. They then apply the framework to two case studies to better frame the findings. They consider phases of adoption (initiation, implementation) and the levels of adoption (technological, organizational, environmental, individual).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Findings<\/jats:title><jats:p>In the case studies, the authors found the importance of a strong and decision\u2010centric management board to give the impulse for the initiation phase of the process. As perceived by the stakeholders, a strong governmental support is of paramount importance to increase the adoption at the public level, although in the case studies examined the initiation stage started from the impulse of a championing management. Both case studies passed the initiation phase successfully. Continuous employees' training, organizational objectives consensus, and business process reengineering have been found important for the implementation phase. In the case study in which these factors were not in place, the implementation phase of adoption failed. Environmental factors \u2013 although relevant for the initiation of the adoption process \u2013 are less significant during the actual implementation of the adoption process, as the contrasting result logic from the case studies shows.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Research limitations\/implications<\/jats:title><jats:p>The study refers to two public organizations in a specific environmental setting. No causality among factors has been inferred. Quantitative objective data have been used to determine the success of adoption, for qualitative data multiple sources have been used when possible to limit threats to validity.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Practical implications<\/jats:title><jats:p>The framework can be used by stakeholders in public organizations to better frame their adoption strategies and to compare results across institutions. Lessons learnt from the case studies can be useful to drive future adoptions of FLOSS.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Originality\/value<\/jats:title><jats:p>The framework combines phases of adoption and levels making it possible to frame the analysis of the case studies. It has been operationalized with a set of metrics, and with a protocol for the case studies to increase replicability value.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1108\/09593841211232677","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2014,1,24]],"date-time":"2014-01-24T08:47:13Z","timestamp":1390553233000},"page":"156-187","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":68,"title":["Adoption of free\/libre open source software in public organizations: factors of impact"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"25","author":[{"given":"Bruno","family":"Rossi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Barbara","family":"Russo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Giancarlo","family":"Succi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"140","reference":[{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ajzen, I. (1985), \u201cFrom intentions to actions: a theory of planned behaviour\u201d, in Kuhl, J. and Beckmann, J. (Eds), Action Control: From Cognition to Behaviour, Springer, New York, NY, pp. 11\u201039.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-642-69746-3_2"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b2","unstructured":"Arina, T. (2005), \u201cThe state of FLOSS and future opportunities\u201d, available at: http:\/\/flosse.dicole.org\/media\/documents\/ArinaState_of_FLOSS_and_Future_Opportunities\u2010Draft.pdf (accessed December 3, 2008)."},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Arthur, W.B. (1994), Increasing Returns and Path Dependency in Economy, University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, MI.","DOI":"10.3998\/mpub.10029"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bradford, M. and Florin, J. (2003), \u201cExamining the role of innovation diffusion factors on the implementation success of enterprise resource planning systems\u201d, Information Systems, Vol. 4, pp. 205\u201025.","DOI":"10.1016\/S1467-0895(03)00026-5"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b5","unstructured":"Campbell, D.T. and Stanley, J.C. (1966), Experimental and Quasi\u2010experimental Designs for Research, Rand\u2010McNally, Chicago, IL."},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Chau, P.Y.K. and Tam, K.Y. (1997), \u201cFactors affecting the adoption of open systems: an exploratory study\u201d, MIS Quarterly, Vol. 21 No. 1, pp. 1\u201024.","DOI":"10.2307\/249740"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b7","unstructured":"Christensen, C.M. (1997), The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA."},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cooper, R.B. and Zmud, R.W. (1990), \u201cInformation technology implementation research: a technological diffusion approach\u201d, Management Science, Vol. 36 No. 2, pp. 123\u201039.","DOI":"10.1287\/mnsc.36.2.123"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"David, P.A. and Bunn, J.A. (1988), \u201cThe economics of gateway technologies and network evolution: lessons from electricity supply history\u201d, Information Economics and Policy, Vol. 3, pp. 165\u2010202.","DOI":"10.1016\/0167-6245(88)90024-8"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b10","unstructured":"Dedrick, J. and West, J. (2003), \u201cWhy firms adopt open source platforms: a grounded theory of innovation and standards adoption\u201d, Standard Making: A Critical Research Frontier for Information Systems Proceedings, Seattle, WA, pp. 236\u201057."},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Dedrick, J. and West, J. (2004), \u201cAn exploratory study into open source platform adoption\u201d, Proceedings of the 37th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS '04). Track 8 Vol. 8, IEEE Computer Society, Washington, DC.","DOI":"10.1109\/HICSS.2004.1265633"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b12","unstructured":"Depietro, R., Wiarda, E. and Fleischer, M. (1990), \u201cThe context for change: organization, technology and environment\u201d, in Tornatzky, L.G. and Fleischer, M. (Eds), The Processes of Technological Innovation, Lexington Books, Lexington, MA, pp. 151\u201075."},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Economides, N. and Katsamakas, E. (2006), \u201cTwo\u2010sided competition of proprietary vs open source technology platforms and the implications for the software industry\u201d, Management Science, Vol. 52 No. 7, pp. 1057\u201071.","DOI":"10.1287\/mnsc.1060.0549"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Eisenhardt, K.M. (1989), \u201cBuilding theories from case study research\u201d, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 14 No. 4, pp. S532\u2010S550.","DOI":"10.5465\/amr.1989.4308385"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b15","unstructured":"Feller, J., Fitzgerald, B., Hissam, S. and Lakhani, K. (2005), Perspectives on Free and Open Source Software, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, pp. 121\u201040."},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Fichman, R.G. (2001), \u201cThe role of aggregation in the measurement of IT\u2010related organizational innovation\u201d, MIS Quarterly, Vol. 25 No. 4, pp. 427\u201055.","DOI":"10.2307\/3250990"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Fichman, R.G. and Kemerer, C.F. (1997), \u201cThe assimilation of software process innovations: an organizational learning perspective\u201d, Management Science, Vol. 43 No. 10, pp. 1345\u201063.","DOI":"10.1287\/mnsc.43.10.1345"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Finney, S. and Corbett, M. (2007), \u201cERP implementation: a compilation and analysis of critical success factors\u201d, Business Process Management Journal, Vol. 13 No. 3, pp. 329\u201047.","DOI":"10.1108\/14637150710752272"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b19","unstructured":"Fitzgerald, B. (2005), \u201cHas open source a future?\u201d, in Feller, J., Fitzgerald, B., Hissam, S. and Lakhani, K. (Eds), Perspectives on Free and Open Source Software, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, pp. 121\u201040."},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Fitzgerald, B. (2009), \u201cOpen source software adoption: anatomy of success and failure\u201d, IJOSSP, Vol. 1 No. 1, pp. 1\u201023.","DOI":"10.4018\/jossp.2009010101"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Fitzgerald, B., Kesan, J.P., Russo, B., Shaikh, M. and Succi, G. (2011), Adopting Open Source Software: A Practical Guide, The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.","DOI":"10.7551\/mitpress\/9780262516358.001.0001"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gallivan, M.J. (2001), \u201cOrganizational adoption and assimilation of complex technological innovations: development and application of a new framework\u201d, ACM SIGMIS Database, Vol. 32 No. 3, pp. 51\u201085.","DOI":"10.1145\/506724.506729"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b23","unstructured":"Glynn, E., Fitzgerald, B. and Exton, C. (2005), \u201cCommercial adoption of open source software: an empirical study\u201d, Empirical Software Engineering, International Symposium Proceedings. IEEE Computer Society, Washington, DC."},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b24","unstructured":"Groganzt, G. (2007), \u201ctOSSad Project. Obstacles and Barriers to F\/OSS Adoption in Public Administration. Annex I\u201d, available at: www.tossad.org\/content\/download\/1386\/6897\/file\/tOSSad_D18_Annex1_V2.3.pdf (accessed September 2, 2010)."},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b25","unstructured":"Hahn, R.W. (2002), \u201cGovernment policy toward open source software: an overview\u201d, in Hahn, R.W. (Ed.), Government Policy toward Open Source Software, Brookings Institution Press, Washington, DC, pp. 12\u201033."},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hannay, J. and J\u00f8rgensen, M. (2008), \u201cThe role of deliberate artificial design elements in software engineering experiments\u201d, IEEE Transactions in Software Engineering, Vol. 34 No. 2, pp. 242\u201059.","DOI":"10.1109\/TSE.2008.13"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Holck, J., Larsen, M.H. and Pedersen, M.K. (2005), \u201cManagerial and technical barriers to the adoption of open source software\u201d, COTS\u2010Based Software System, pp. 289\u2010300.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-540-30587-3_38"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Huysmans, P., Ven, K. and Verelst, J. (2008), \u201cReasons for the non\u2010adoption of OpenOffice.org in a data\u2010intensive public administration\u201d, First Monday, Vol. 13 No. 10.","DOI":"10.5210\/fm.v13i10.2238"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Jones, A. and Gallivan, M. (2007), \u201cToward a deeper understanding of system usage in organizations: a multilevel perspective\u201d, MIS Quarterly, Vol. 31 No. 4.","DOI":"10.2307\/25148815"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b31","unstructured":"Kwan, S.K. and West, J. (2005), \u201cA conceptual model for enterprise adoption of open source software\u201d, in Bolin, S. (Ed.), The Standards Edge: Open Season, Sheridan Books, Ann Arbor, MI."},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lee, J.A. (2006), \u201cGovernment policy toward open source software: the puzzles of neutrality and competition\u201d, Knowledge, Technology, and Policy, Vol. 18 No. 4, pp. 113\u201041.","DOI":"10.1007\/s12130-006-1007-5"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b33","unstructured":"Margolis, S.E. and Liebowitz, S. (1999), Winners, Losers & Microsoft: Competition and Antitrust in High Technology, The Independent Institute, Oakland, CA."},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b34","unstructured":"Morgan, L. and Finnegan, P. (2007), \u201cHow perceptions of open source software influence adoption: an exploratory study\u201d, Proceedings of the 15th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 07), pp. 973\u201084."},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Morgan, L. and Finnegan, P. (2010), \u201cOpen innovation in secondary software firms: an exploration of managers' perceptions of open source software\u201d, DATA BASE for Advances in Information Systems, Vol. 41 No. 1, pp. 76\u201095.","DOI":"10.1145\/1719051.1719056"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b36","unstructured":"Morgado, G., van Leeuwen, M., \u00d6zel, B. and Erkan, K. (2007), \u201cCurrent status of F\/OSS\u201d, tOSSad Deliverable D18, March 18."},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b37","unstructured":"O'Reilly, T. (2005), \u201cThe open source paradigm shift\u201d, in Cusumano, M., Shirky, C., Feller, J., Fitzgerald, B., Hissam, S.A. and Lakhani, K.R. (Eds), Perspectives on Free and Open Source Software, The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA."},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b38","unstructured":"Porter, M.E. (1987), From Competitive Advantage to Corporate Strategy, Harvard Business Publishing, Boston, MA."},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b39","unstructured":"Raus, M., Kipp, A. and Boutellier, R. (2008), \u201cDiffusion of e\u2010government IT innovation: a case of failure?\u201d, Proceedings of the eChallenges 2008 Conference, Stockholm, October 22\u201024, pp. 240\u20107."},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b40","unstructured":"Rogers, E.M. (1995), Diffusion of Innovations, 4th ed., Free Press, New York, NY."},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Rossi, B., Russo, B. and Succi, G. (2007), \u201cEvaluation of a migration to open source software\u201d, in St Amant, K. and Still, B. (Eds), Handbook of Research on Open Source Software: Technological, Economic, and Social Perspectives, Idea Group Reference, Hershey, PA.","DOI":"10.4018\/978-1-59140-999-1.ch024"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Rossi, B., Scotto, M., Sillitti, A. and Succi, G. (2006), \u201cAn empirical study on the migration to OpenOffice.org in the public administration\u201d, International Journal of Information Technology and Web Engineering, Vol. 1 No. 3, pp. 64\u201080.","DOI":"10.4018\/jitwe.2006070105"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Russo, B. and Succi, G. (2009), \u201cA cost model of open source software adoption\u201d, IJOSSP, Vol. 1 No. 3.","DOI":"10.4018\/jossp.2009070105"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Sanders, J. (1998), \u201cLinux, open source, and software's future\u201d, IEEE Software, September\/October, pp. 88\u201091.","DOI":"10.1109\/52.714831"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b52","unstructured":"Shapiro, C. and Varian, H.R. (1999), Information Rules: A Strategic Guide to the Network Economy, Harvard Business Press, Boston, MA."},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b46","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Shrout, P.E. and Fleiss, J.L. (1979), \u201cIntraclass correlations: uses in assessing rater reliability\u201d, Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 86 No. 2, pp. 420\u20108.","DOI":"10.1037\/0033-2909.86.2.420"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b47","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Sj\u00f8berg, D.I.K., Hannay, J.E., Hansen, O., Kampenes, V.B., Karahasanovic, A., Liborg, N.\u2010K. and Rekdal, A.C. (2005), \u201cA survey of controlled experiments in software engineering\u201d, IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, Vol. 31 No. 9, pp. 733\u201053.","DOI":"10.1109\/TSE.2005.97"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b48","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Swanson, E.B. (1994), \u201cInformation systems innovation among organizations\u201d, Management Science, Vol. 40 No. 9, pp. 1069\u201092.","DOI":"10.1287\/mnsc.40.9.1069"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b49","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Taylor, S. and Todd, P. (1995), \u201cUnderstanding IT usage: a test of competing models\u201d, Information Systems Research, Vol. 6 No. 2, pp. 144\u201076.","DOI":"10.1287\/isre.6.2.144"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b51","unstructured":"Tornatzky, L.G. and Fleischer, M. (1990), The Processes of Technological Innovation, Lexington Books, Lexington, MA."},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b53","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"V\u00e4lim\u00e4ki, M., Oksanen, V. and Laine, J. (2005), \u201cAn empirical look at the problems of open source adoption in Finnish municipalities\u201d, Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Electronic Commerce (ICEC '05), Vol. 113, ACM, New York, NY, pp. 514\u201020.","DOI":"10.1145\/1089551.1089643"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b50","unstructured":"Ward, D. and Tao, E.Y. (2009), \u201cOpen source software use in municipal government: is full immersion possible?\u201d, Proceedings of The World Congress on Engineering and Computer Science 2009, pp. 1044\u20109."},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b54","unstructured":"Yin, R.K. (2003), Case Study Research. Design and Methods, 3rd ed., Sage, London."},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_b55","unstructured":"Zaltman, G., Duncan, R. and Holbeck, J. (1973), Innovations & Organizations, Wiley & Sons, New York, NY."},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_frg29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Janssen, M., Weerakkody, V. and Dwivedi, Y.K. (2009), Handbook of Research on ICT\u2010Enabled Transformational Government: A Global Perspective, IGI Global, Hershey, PA.","DOI":"10.4018\/978-1-60566-390-6"},{"key":"key2022012220382792100_frg45","unstructured":"Shadish, W.R., Cook, T.D. and Campbell, D.T. (2001), Experimental and Quasi\u2010Experimental Designs for Generalized Causal Inference, 2nd ed., Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA."}],"container-title":["Information Technology &amp; People"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"http:\/\/www.emeraldinsight.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1108\/09593841211232677","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/09593841211232677\/full\/xml","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/09593841211232677\/full\/html","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,25]],"date-time":"2025-07-25T00:37:12Z","timestamp":1753403832000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/www.emerald.com\/itp\/article\/25\/2\/156-187\/185290"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2012,6,1]]},"references-count":55,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2012,6,1]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1108\/09593841211232677"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1108\/09593841211232677","relation":{},"ISSN":["0959-3845"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0959-3845","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2012,6,1]]}}}