Open practices across science, software, education and other domains

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Organizational Behavior
• Information Science

Background:

• Open practices are increasingly adopted across various fields like open science, software development, and education.
• These practices aim to boost innovation and participation by increasing transparency, inclusion, and shared decision-making.
• The effectiveness of specific open practices in achieving these goals remains an area of investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and distill successful open practices from diverse domains.
• To understand which open practices are most effective in enabling groups and organizations to achieve goals related to transparency, inclusion, and decision rights.
• To provide insights into how these practices can be leveraged for broader participation and innovation.

Main Methods:

• A review and distillation of successful open practices from domains including open science, open-source software, and open education.
• Identification of common themes and successful strategies across different fields.
• Synthesis of seven key practices that facilitate goal definition, power allocation, information sharing, and norm setting.

Main Results:

• Seven successful open practices were identified, applicable across different organizational contexts.
• Practices such as documenting power structures and adopting a code of conduct were highlighted as effective.
• These practices can help groups define goals, allocate power, share information, and establish norms.

Conclusions:

• Open practices offer significant potential for groups and organizations to address complex challenges.
• Successful implementation depends on cross-domain knowledge sharing, tailored application of practices, and sustained support for people and platforms.
• Further research should focus on how to best share lessons and adapt these practices for maximum impact.