Leadership Technology Blockchain Blockchaininess
Blockchaininess
Posted by
Jonathan Fries on .
In discussing blockchain opportunities with clients who are curious about how it might serve them, I've realized a couple of things, I've realized a couple of things.
- Not all problems have some type of blockchain answer. The question you should ask yourself is, "Does another type of data storage solve this problem equally well?" Or "Am I just doing this so I can say blockchain?"
- You should also ask, "How am I going to generate new revenue or save costs?" Or "What business outcome am I after?"
If the answer to number 2 is "Reinventing My Industry", that will come with some friction.
In looking at this challenge, some of the problem comes from ourselves. We haven't seen enough, done enough, or tried enough things to always understand what it does or how it will change things.
I'm speaking for myself here. If the answers aren't in my head, it isn't the technology's fault, it just means that I don't quite see how to fit it in. Or it's possible that what it will do is so radical that it may require some (additional) visionary ideas to help light the way.
Visionaries, apply here.
So, blockchaininess is a term for an idea that matches what blockchain technology does best. So far these seem to share that they are broad and sweeping in their implications, if they're going to be successful. This doesn't mean it will always be that way, but it isn't an incremental technology, which is why it can be so hard to look at. It isn't like stuff you've done before.
It could also be a term for a way of thinking about problems that inherently sees problems that can be solved well by blockchain.
Some of this will take time. But don't wait. My recommendation is to do some reading and start thinking about it. Start trying things. It is a powerful tool - look no further than Bitcoin for evidence of that.
What it will do for us, in technology and beyond, is still something we can decide and influence.
At least one other person is using the term blockchaininess. There was one other but it appears to have been edited out of their twitter profile. I'll list them for completeness:
https://medium.com/@JvanHoof/interesting-decision-models-2e27a7df8e06
https://twitter.com/gazhaze
EDIT: Not directly saying 'blockchaininess' but linked from the first link and related to what I'm talking about. A good, detailed read:
https://medium.com/@sbmeunier/when-do-you-need-blockchain-decision-models-a5c40e7c9ba1