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

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.