Overcoming challenges in global software development: The role of brokers

A common collaboration structure in global software development (GSD) is clustering, wherein people tend to be closer to others with whom they share common characteristics. Clusters often create barriers in communication, coordination and expertise awareness between remote teams, restraining the development of transactive memory (TM). In order to overcome such barriers, the role of brokers has emerged. In this paper, we examine the role of brokers as facilitators in the development of transactive memory. We use social network theory to analyze the collaboration of an EU-funded project, where development teams come from different partners and different locations. Our results suggest that task-based clusters emerge and that project members who coordinate activities as well as those who contribute to the code development act as brokers. Our empirical evaluation shows that clustering has a negative effect on TM and that brokers can moderate that effect.