Blockchain is often presented as inherently decentralised.
In enterprise settings, the opposite frequently happens.

We wanted to know why.

Our new paper in the Journal of Information Technology (JIT) examines four enterprise blockchain initiatives and shows why many end up reproducing centralised governance.

The key driver is early governance design:
• Platform openness – who is allowed to join
• Participant inclusiveness – who can meaningfully influence decisions

These two choices act as imprinting mechanisms. They embed power relations into the platform’s architecture and rules, shaping whether governance becomes decentralised, centralised, or hybrid — and making later change difficult.

Key takeaway: decentralisation is not an automatic outcome of using blockchain. It depends on deliberate early design choices about openness and inclusiveness.

📄 Link to the paper: here

Thanks for the collaboration Dr. Christophe VIGUERIE (with a special thanks for being in the driver’s seat!), Raffaele F Ciriello and Lars Mathiassen, the editors of the special issue, and the reviewers who helped shape the study!