Mine, Yours, … Ours? Managing Stakeholder Conflicts in an Enterprise Blockchain Consortium

Abstract

When major corporations build and manage own platforms, most of the conflicts are resolved internally. With the rise of blockchain systems, also blockchain-based platforms are increasingly tried out, which are governed in a decentralized fashion. But moving from hierarchical efficiency to a democratic inclusiveness, in which blockchain proponents believe, is difficult: the variety of included actors raise a variety of conflicts, when platform users become platform complementors or even owners. To manage these conflicts, it is necessary to analyze each actor in detail. This paper reflects on the developments within an ongoing enterprise blockchain consortium in a small European country in the automotive domain from a governance perspective. We portray the consortium’s stakeholder conflicts, propose solutions for these conflicts and relate them to literature on blockchain governance. Our findings contextualize several theoretical stances, emphasizing the importance of the organizational over the technological embedment in blockchain governance.