We are pleased to invite you to two blockchain-focused events at this year's Academy of Management Annual Meeting in Copenhagen, aimed at scholars interested in digital governance, decentralization, platform, and emerging socio-technical infrastructures.
[AOM Symposium] The Socio-Cultural Dynamics of Blockchain Platforms: Beyond Decentralization and Algorithms
Tuesday, July 29, 2025 | 1:45–3:15 PM (CEST) | Location: Bella Center, Meeting Room 137/138
This interdisciplinary symposium brings together researchers exploring blockchain-based innovations through institutional theory, cultural dynamics, and organizational logics.
Presenters:
· Yunjung Pak (University of Alberta) - Configurational analysis of governance resilience
· Nina-Birte Schirrmacher (University of Sydney), Michel Avital (Copenhagen Business School), Johannes Rude Jensen, Omri Ross (University of Copenhagen) - Accountability in DAOs
· Gianlorenzo Meggio (Aarhus University) & Agnieszka Radziwon (University of Southern Denmark) - Category stigma formation in blockchain voting
· Paula Ungureanu, Carlotta Cochis (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia) - Constructing a technology logic through multimodal prefiguration and hype in Blockchain for Good
Discussants:
· Victoria Lemieux (University of British Columbia)
· Alex Murray (University of Oregon)
Together, we will explore:
· How cultural narratives and institutional contexts shape blockchain governance
· What new forms of organizational accountability are emerging in the context of decentralized organizations
· How academics can negatively affect the social evaluation of an emerging technology and outmarket it
· How hypes about emergent digital technologies are shaped by actors' efforts to navigate multiple logics to pursue the promise of social disruption
This symposium explores the sociocultural dynamics of blockchain-based organizations as emerging forms of organizing. It examines the multifaceted challenges these organizations face in achieving and sustaining legitimacy and fostering growth within the evolving blockchain field. By shifting focus from purely technical aspects of decentralization to the socio-cultural mechanisms embedded in blockchain governance, the symposium highlights the interplay of symbolic and material realms, configurational logics, and societal legitimacy. Drawing on diverse organizational theories and qualitative methodologies, including netnography, rhetorical analysis, QCA, and topic modeling, this symposium seeks to advance a deeper understanding of blockchain governance, emphasizing its socio-cultural embeddedness, accountability, and sustainability. Participants will engage with new theoretical and methodological approaches to unpack the complexities of blockchain platforms beyond decentralized algorithms, offering insights into their growth, coordination, and integration within broader institutional contexts.
[Networking Reception] Blockchain in Academia Reception: 3rd Edition
Sunday, July 27, 2025 | 5:00–6:30 PM (CEST) | Bella Center, Foyer 3-A
Join us for an informal gathering of blockchain scholars across AOM divisions!
This event is open to researchers working on (or curious about!) all things blockchain: governance, DAOs, digital infrastructures, crypto regulation, platform design, decentralization, and more.
Whether you are presenting, attending a symposium, or just exploring new terrain - come meet fellow scholars, exchange ideas, and build community.
The event is generously supported by Blockchain@UBC and Aarhus University.
· Light refreshments provided
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Yunjung Pak
Phd Candidate
University of Alberta
Edmonton AB
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