Statistics show high levels of interest in blockchain technology however, considerable adoption has not occurred. This thesis examines why interest is high, yet levels of adoption are low, by identifying the factors influencing blockchain’s adoption and systematizing them into a theoretical framework. A mixed-methodology is used to address the adoption factors. First, a qualitative approach is used to discover the factors from primary data collected from 25 interviews with 23 different organizations. Second, a quantitative survey is employed to empirically test the factors with 146 employees from 71 organizations. A total of 18 factors are discovered and eight are tested. The findings support and validate several factors influencing blockchain adoption and contribute one novel factor; perceived technological volatility. A new empirically validated scale was developed to measure organizational perceptions of a technology’s volatility. Furthermore, this research is one of the first to employ a mixed-methodology to address blockchain technology adoption. 

Bio: Ryan William Kennedy is a research assistant at The Cybersecurity Research Lab at Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario Canada. He is currently completing his Master of Science in Management (MScM), also at Ryerson University. Ryan’s previous education was a Bachelor of Commerce (B. Comm) in Business Technology Management (BTM). His research interests are the security of emerging technology (quantum computing, blockchain, IoT), management of emerging technology, information security (cryptography), technology management, and technology adoption. Ryan’s current research projects include; organizational adoption of blockchain technology, blockchain patent analysis, strategic implications of quantum computing for enterprises, open banking for Canada, IoT end-user security perceptions, and a quantum risk and cost assessment framework.