This paper explores the role social imaginaries play in the organization of the Ethereum blockchain community and its associated economy. Specifically, it focuses on the developers, researchers and organizers responsible for Ethereum’s maintenance and upgrades, known as the Core Devs. Using a Grounded Theory approach, we investigate the decentralized decision-making processes inherent in Ethereum’s governance mechanisms. Through interviews with seven Ethereum Core Devs, we examine the presence of previously known social imaginaries and analyze their function in contemporary governance, including Infrastructural Mutualism. We also discuss a previously unexamined social imaginary, the Infinite Garden, which captures the values-inflected work of maintaining the protocol in light of the pressures of corporate institutionalization and economic pragmatism. We discover how in the absence of a formal centralized hierarchy, these social imaginaries set boundaries on the legitimacy of decision-making in Ethereum protocol governance. Further, we comment on the contemporary understanding of sociotechnical imaginaries as institutionally stabilized, finding in Ethereum’s case that culture is the condition that enables stability, whilst also acting as a bulwark against external institutional capture.
This conceptual paper advances a metaphysical framework for understanding agency, coherence, and leadership in mission-driven organizations. Drawing on Said Nursî’s Islamic concept of Zerre (the smallest particle), we reconceptualize organizational actors not as autonomous agents but as morally embedded participants aligned with a transcendent ethical order. This Zerre-based logic contrasts with secular-functional paradigms by grounding legitimacy and leadership in humility, symbolic resonance, and ontological coherence. We develop an analytical model that maps this metaphysical lens onto organizational constructs such as agency, leadership, and moral purpose. The framework contributes to emerging post-secular and spiritually informed theories of organizing by integrating Islamic metaphysics with contemporary challenges of decentralized leadership, ethical alignment, and valuebased management. Illustrative examples from Islamic Relief, World Vision, and Extinction Rebellion highlight the model’s relevance for spiritually inspired organizational action across faith traditions.
This paper explores and compares two participatory management approaches—the Company Democracy Model and Holacracy—for their application within the Indian Ministry of Education. It emphasizes the need for innovative organizational techniques in the management of the public sector, particularly in light of the dynamic demands posed by the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The study evaluates how these approaches enhance employee engagement and improve the quality of deliverables. Lewin’s Field Force Analysis is utilized to examine the organization’s strategy. The study employs Kotter’s Change Model to assess the applicability of Holacracy—a decentralized, project-oriented system, characterized by its dynamic and self-organizing structures. This model is analyzed for its potential to meet the Ministry’s shifting priorities and to foster adaptability through autonomous teams. Conversely, the Company Democracy Model, which emphasizes employee-centric growth and decision-making within a tiered, spiral framework, is evaluated using the ADKAR Change Model. This model’s compatibility with the Ministry’s hierarchical structure and its potential to enhance participatory governance are key areas of focus. The study contributes novel insights by integrating change management theories with a refined presentation of the CDM pyramid and by introducing specific performance metrics for both models. By combining theoretical frameworks with practical applications, this paper offers a sustainable governance model suited to dynamic organizational environments.