The Blind Men and the Elephant: Mapping Interdisciplinarity in Research on Decentralized Autonomous Organizations

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the interdisciplinary research landscape of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), revealing fragmentation across disciplines and emphasizing the need for better integration of organizational and technical insights to advance understanding.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive assessment of DAO research maturity by analyzing knowledge flows and highlights the gaps in theoretical integration across disciplines.

Findings

DAOs are a vibrant interdisciplinary research topic.

Research is mainly applied and case-driven.

Limited theoretical integration across disciplines.

Abstract

Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) are attracting interdisciplinary interest, particularly in business, economics, and computer science. However, much like the parable of the blind men and the elephant, where each observer perceives only a fragment of the whole, DAO research remains fragmented across disciplines, limiting a comprehensive understanding of their potential. This paper assesses the maturity of interdisciplinary research on DAOs by analyzing knowledge flows between Business & Economics and Computer Science through citation network analysis, topic modelling, and outlet analysis. Our findings reveal that while DAOs serve as a vibrant topic of interdisciplinary discourse, current research remains predominantly applied and case-driven, with limited theoretical integration. Strengthening the alignment between organizational and technical insights is crucial for advancing DAO research and fostering a more cohesive interdisciplinary framework.