Navigating Organisational Paradoxes in Blockchain Communities

Decentralised, peer-to-peer blockchain networks rely on sustained community participation, yet retaining user engagement is challenging in fast-moving, information-saturated environments where new projects constantly compete for attention. As these networks grow in size and complexity, managing them requires navigating contradictory organisational demands that shape community dynamics and platform retention. Drawing on the organisational paradox lens, and using 26 semi-structured interviews, we explore the organisational structures that shape users’ engagement in their blockchain group. We identified the coexistence of conflicting organisational demands rooted in decision-making, community growth, and modes of communication. Maintaining a careful balance, rather than attempting to resolve these organisational tensions, supports user retention, whereas leaning too heavily toward either extreme may hinder engagement. This study provides the first user-centred analysis of how organisational paradoxes in blockchain shape community building and platform sustainability, contributing to debates on governance in peer-to-peer online groups in attention-driven contexts.