Towards a Unified Framework for Blockchain Technology Adoption in Business Organizations: A Delphi Study

Abstract Blockchain technology holds significant promise for organizational transformation by enabling automation, transparency, decentralization, and immutable data flows. However, theoretical clarity regarding the factors that enable or inhibit blockchain technology adoption (BTA) in business organizations remains limited. This study aims to develop a unified and validated framework for BTA in business organizations by refining and validating key enablers and inhibitors across technological, organizational, environmental, supply chain, and user dimensions. Using a systematic literature review as a foundation, the study conducts a Delphi investigation with blockchain practitioners and academics. Drawing on its findings, the study develops a unified and validated BTA framework that identifies key enablers, such as automation benefits, efficiency improvements, regulatory support, supply chain traceability, and user trust in blockchain, as well as key inhibitors, including integration issues, skill shortages, compliance challenges, fragmentation in supply chains, and complex password and private key management. By consolidating and validating these factors, the study addresses the broader problem of fragmented guidance for stakeholders and the absence of an integrated theoretical foundation in information systems research.