A Solution in Search of a Problem : A Method for the Development of Blockchain Use Cases

Blockchain technology is a very recent and fast evolving phenomenon with the potential to disrupt various industries. Organizations are thus increasingly looking at the technology and are forming multi-functional teams to evaluate the technology and its impact on their businesses. However, researchers and practitioners still lack a technology-driven, systematic approach to understand the potential of blockchain and to develop convincing use cases. We address this research gap by applying an action design research approach and situational method engineering to propose a method for the development of blockchain use cases. Following this approach, we iteratively evaluated and further developed the proposed method through application and testing in four distinct industries. We thus derive constructive knowledge at the cutting edge of digital transformation, innovation management, and utilization of emerging technologies. In addition, our research supports practitioners in systematically developing blockchain use cases.