Steering Committees in Peer Production Projects

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Context

This is part of an ongoing examination of management and governance models in peer production projects and in free software projects.

See the entry on Anti-Credentialism and the Maintainer Model of Management, where it is argued that peer projects are generally characterized by a lack of a priori appointments of roles and functions.

In the following little case study, by Stefan Merten of Oekonux (from a mailing list discussion in November 2006), it is shown that the steering committee was a similar a posteriori development.


Case Studies

GCC Steering Committee

Refers to http://gcc.gnu.org/steering.html)

All quotes, selected and commented upon by Stefan Merten, are from this page:

"The steering committee was founded in 1998 with the intent of preventing any particular individual, group or organization from getting control over the project. Its primary purpose is to make major decisions in the best interests of the GCC project and to ensure that the project adheres to its fundamental principles found in the project's mission statement.

This is a good example for a role which has been invented for a very particular problem of this particular project. People perceived the project as being in danger to be overtaken by interests alienated to the project and so they created a role to prevent this and to ensure that the goals of the project are adhered to."

- Also very interesting is the part from the official announcement of this steering committee dating November 1998:

"From its initial conception, the egcs project [now GCC] has strived to organize itself in a manner which prevents any particular individual or company from having control over the project.

To that end, when the project was formed several individuals were contacted to make decisions for the GCC project. These individuals come from a variety of backgrounds and represent various groups with an interest in the long term health of GCC.

We feel it is in the best interest of the GCC project at this time to turn this informal group into an official steering committee, and to make public its membership."

- This is a perfect example of the self-appointment procedure I mentioned above.

- And the official acknowledgment is also present:

"In April 1999 the steering committee was appointed by the FSF as the official GNU maintainer for GCC and changed its name to GCC steering committee.

- Half a year later this step was officially acknowledged by the FSF. They acknowledged a practice already tested in practice.