Behavioural antecedents to blockchain implementation in agrifood supply chain management: A thematic analysis

Abstract

Despite its perceived utility, several companies and managers continue to hold reservations about blockchain implementation in supply chain management. To elucidate the causes, we examine the behavioural and organisational antecedents that influence the adoption of blockchain technology in supply chain management. To do this, we undertake thematic analysis on blockchain-related agri-food business news and expert opinions from the Ovid database's Agricola section. Four themes are central to our model: organisational adoption strategies, technical advantages, environmental obstacles, and implementation intention. Using these themes, we build a thematic map and derive three propositions about the role of behavioural antecedents to blockchain implementation intention in supply chains, thus substantiating Behavioural Reasoning Theory (BRT) and Technology Organisation and Environment (TOE) theory's core arguments. Our findings elucidate novel factors influencing blockchain adoption in supply chains. More specifically, we show that managers who consider the technological benefits associated with blockchain capacity are able to provide stakeholders with new opportunities and embrace adoption strategies such as product launch and partnership formation while also considering environmental and contextual barriers such as market fragmentation, scarcity of research, and regulatory restrictions.