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Mitchell Baker and the Firefox Paradox
Its products are free. Its work force is largely volunteer. Its meetings are open to anyone. It's a nonprofit. It may be the hottest tech company in America.
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The Mozilla School of Management
How do you run an organization composed of thousands of volunteers scattered around the world? Here are seven principles that drive the thinking behind Mozilla.
Published February 2007
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COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLEIt's the community, stupid
The best course of action isn't necessarily the one that will prove the most immediately profitable. The best decisions are the ones that win the most buy-in from the most people.
Just ask
There seems to be no limit to what volunteers are willing and able to do for an organization they believe in. But hardly anyone thinks to ask.
Lead by following
Paradoxically, managers can be more influential by judiciously declining to exert control.
Nurture renegades
Interesting things happen when people are allowed to break the rules. Firefox, for instance, was created not by Mozilla's main development team, but by a couple of programmers who splintered off in another direction.
Think hybrid
Open-source approaches can go further when they're paired with conventional approaches. Find ways to blend community-driven efforts into your current operations, rather than jumping whole-hog into open-source.
Think globally
There is a world of potential volunteers outside the United States, and in some cases the only incentive they need to pitch in is the freedom to adapt a product or service to their own needs.
Shut up
Getting the most out of people, and winning their loyalty, is sometimes just a matter of listening to them-- very carefully and all the time.
