Blockchain Governance for Collaborative Manufacturing

Abstract

The manufacturing industry is rapidly changing due to widespread adoption of information and communication technologies. This new landscape, described as the fourth industrial revolution, will be characterized by highly complex and interdependent systems. One particular aspect of this shift is horizontal integration, or the tight coupling of firms within a value chain. Highly interconnected and interdependent manufacturing systems will encounter new challenges associated with coordination and collaboration, specifically with regards to trust. This purpose of this chapter is to explore the potential of blockchain to address these challenges. Survey data collected from manufacturing professionals suggests that the perceived nature of trust and resource value can be bounded and controlled. Concepts from game theory, systems theory, and organizational economics are used to augment this research data and inform a collaborative manufacturing blockchain model and architecture.