What is the Role of the Sensitive Construct
Theory in Free and Open Source Software
Development?
André A. Gomes de Souza
MSc. Management, Information System and Innovation Candidate
London School of Economics and Political Science
E-mail: andre.alessandro@rocketmail.com
Abstract—This work provides an insight into John Stacey
Adam’s Equity Theory, Richard C. Huseman et al.’s
Equity Sensitive Construct Theory and suggests three main motivational behaviours for the development of a
IPTV platform (Kaltura) based on Free and open Source
Software-benevolent (the giver), equity sensitive (the neutral) and entitled (the taker). In that, it suggests the
Equity Sensitive Construct Theory as the major theoretical concept for individuals’ motivation to take part in Free and Open Source Software projects. The
Equity Sensitive Construct Theory directly correlates to
Adam’s Equity Theory and campaigns that a person behave oneself homogeneously, yet individually in contrasting ways to an apparent equity/inequity —since there are three different classes of individual preferences. This paper suggests that it is well possible to relate psychological models to describe how a group of people or an individual is driven to complete a task: different academics have gathered very good examples that have been verified empirically. However, in the example of the F/OSS movement, this writing considers the motivations of the collaborators as secondary. The primary reason is that the organisations are taking advantage of new technologies to acquire cheap / free labour. Keywords- IPTV, Kaltura, Equity Theory, Sensitive
Construct Theory, Free and Open Source Software

I. INTRODUCTION
This paper is an effort to assimilate the theoretical framework provided by the Sensitive Construct Theory [1] and thus determine a potential model for the question of what drives a person to collaborate with the F/OSS community. This writing will discuss the major concepts of the Equity and Sensitive Construct Theory [1]. It will present the notions of input and outcomes, the reference others, the equity evaluation and the reactions to inequity.
The Sensitive Construct Theory [1] is the basis of the argument of three major F/OSS contributors as opposed to
Sharon Belezon and Mark Schankerman [2] suggestion of four main contributors. Thus, it indents to evaluate motivations that have driven innovation in Free and Open
Manuscript received November 19, 2014. This work was written as the dissertation required by the MA Creative Media Arts (Digital Film) programme at the London South Bank University in 2013.
André A. Gomes de Souza is MSc. Management, Information System and Innovation candidate at the London School of Economics and Political
Science,
London
WC2A
2AE
United
Kingdom
(a.a.gomes-de-souza@lse.ac.uk).

Source Software by using the Sensitive Construct Theory [1] in the We Live Hackney Television (WLH TV) Project. The
WLH TV was an academic project and consisted of the creation of an interactive platform for the Borough of
Hackney.
The form of this paper is an extended literature review and based upon a series of publications about cognitive psychology and new forms of the reorganisation of production. After the analyses of literature, the findings were related to the case study Kaltura. The Kaltura case study is an example of a practical work and contribution to the Free and Open Source movement. This paper is an interpretation of theoretical ideas combined with the real world context of an IPTV platform based upon Free and Open Source software. II. EQUITY THEORY
What is it that incentivises human beings to accomplish a particular task? This deceptively simple looking question is capable of provoking great debate and some rather complex answers. Thankfully, due to the intense efforts of scholars from various branches of psychology seeking to understand what the dynamics of motivation are, we now have a much-improved understanding of this subject. The Equity
Theory [3] [4]