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The dynamics of leadership and success in software development teams

Author

Listed:
  • Lorenzo Betti

    (Central European University)

  • Luca Gallo

    (Central European University
    Corvinus University of Budapest)

  • Johannes Wachs

    (Corvinus University of Budapest
    HUN-REN Centre for Economic and Regional Studies
    Complexity Science Hub)

  • Federico Battiston

    (Central European University)

Abstract

From science to industry, teamwork plays a crucial role in knowledge production and innovation. Most studies consider teams as static groups of individuals, thereby failing to capture how the micro-dynamics of collaborative processes and organizational changes determine team success. Here, we leverage fine-grained temporal data on software development teams from three software ecosystems – Rust, JavaScript, and Python – to gain insights into the dynamics of online collaborative projects. Our analysis reveals an uneven workload distribution in teams, with stronger heterogeneity correlated with higher success, and the early emergence of a lead developer carrying out the majority of work. Moreover, we find that a sizeable fraction of projects experience a change of lead developer, with such a transition being more likely in projects led by inexperienced users. Finally, we show that leadership change is associated with faster success growth. Our work contributes to a deeper understanding of the link between team evolution and success in collaborative processes.

Suggested Citation

  • Lorenzo Betti & Luca Gallo & Johannes Wachs & Federico Battiston, 2025. "The dynamics of leadership and success in software development teams," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-11, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-59031-7
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-59031-7
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    References listed on IDEAS

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