  Initially, free software communities are characterized by selfmanagement,
however, they were also influenced by public and private organizations that
identified potential gains in the use of the geographically distributed
production model. In this context, this research aims to answer the following
questions: Do sponsors influence the organizational structures of free software
communities by promoting differences between sponsored and non-sponsored
communities? What strategies are adopted by the sponsor to influence the
organizational structure of free software communities? Two constructs are
central to the study: organizational structure and sponsorship. For this
research, we adopted case study methodology and three free software communities
were studied. In the analysis of the results it was evidenced that sponsors
influence decision making, definition of community key roles, and a
formalization of norms. In turn, nonsponsored communities were characterized by
the centralization and informality of the norms. We conclude that differences
were identified in the organizational structure of sponsored and nonsponsored
free software communities, and this differentiation was influenced by sponsors.
In addition, it was possible to describe strategies and mechanisms used by
sponsors to influence the community organizational structure.
