Blockchain alone is just a tool. In order for this technology to fulfill its long-term promise, humans must lead. Rather than relying on state-based institutions, blockchain must be primarily self-governed through collaborations of civil society, private sector, government, and stakeholders in non-state networks. In this module, we discuss the idea of blockchain governance networks and explain how they can support blockchain stewardship at three levels: The platform level, the application level, and the ecosystem level. As well, you will learn about the conditions that are necessary for a blockchain-based hub of innovation to succeed.

Although blockchain technology emerged from the open source community, it quickly attracted many stakeholders, each with different backgrounds, interests, and motives. In this module, you will explore the roles and perspectives of nine categories of stakeholders within the blockchain ecosystem, including industry pioneers, venture capitalists, developers, governments, regulators, leaders, and end users.

Because blockchain changes the deep structures and architecture of the firm, it will consequently transform our models of management and the roles of the C-Suite. Navigating the balance between blockchain’s hype and its true potential is a key responsibility of an organization’s management team. In this module, you will learn about some of the decisions and changes that business leaders can anticipate when considering how the future of blockchain will unfold within their business.

With companies across sectors seeking to harness the transformative potential of distributed ledger technologies (DLT), the blockchain ecosystem is an exemplar of new models of industry collaboration. Coopetition—the strategy of cooperating with competitors for defined purposes to cultivate a new economic ecosystem that benefits both—has become the new norm. In this module, you will learn what companies are trying to gain from consortia projects, and what industries and competitors need to accomplish to get to a win-win. You will discuss various design options, organizational models, and best practices for consortia projects, and will explore several examples of industry consortia that are at the forefront of the blockchain ecosystem.

While most professionals understand the potential of blockchain technology, not all of them understand its mechanics and the requirements for its success. In the last decade, thousands of blockchain projects have sprung up, all intending to become the dominant blockchain protocol. A clear winner has not yet emerged, leading to numerous attempts to communicate and transfer value between different blockchain networks. In this module, you will learn about two major themes concerning the exchange of data and value across blockchain protocols: standardization and interoperability. You will learn how various types of standards—including semantic standardization and technological standardization—can create powerful network effects and economic gains for members of a blockchain ecosystem. You will also learn about various approaches to interoperability among blockchain networks. You will explore a series of recent interoperability projects (e.g. Aion, Chainlink, Cosmos, Polkadot) and will discuss some of the implementation challenges and opportunities concerning blockchain interoperability solutions.