Designing the Hybrid Cooperative: A Socio-Technical Architecture for Scalable, Global Coordination Using Blockchain

Abstract

Blockchain has been promoted as a remedy for coordination in fragmented, multi-stakeholder ecosystems, yet many projects stall at pilot stage. Using a design-science approach, we develop the Hybrid Cooperative (HC), a digitally native governance architecture that combines smart-contract coordination with a minimal, code-deferent legal interface and jurisdictional modules. This selective decentralization decentralizes rules where programmability lowers agency and verification costs, and centralizes only what is needed for enforceability. A post-case evaluation against two traceability initiatives in supply chains illustrates how the HC improves distributed task management, verifiable information, incentive alignment, institutional interoperability, and scalable, contestable governance. The paper contributes to Information Systems by specifying a socio-technical model for scalable, multi-stakeholder coordination across regulatory and organizational boundaries.