Work in the 21st century: global, remote, and self-managing
Through COVID the world experienced a shift to a digital model of operation. Remote work and education became the norm. Business trips made way for video conferences, homes became offices, parents and children met at home during work hours, workers realized a significant part of their time was spent on the road. With their newly gained freedoms, some opted to work late into the nights or have breakfast with their families before starting their days. Individuals started to experience self-management. They gained control of their time.
This is just a taste of a brand new model for organizing human efforts. The classical model of 9-to-5 is no more. In its place is a new model that values personal freedom.
Global: Participants can be from anywhere in the world
Remote: Interactions happen through digital communications
Self-managing: Participants take an active role in deciding what to do
Today, blockchains and smart contract technologies enable individuals to participate in global networks, trade assets without middlemen, and take action towards common goals. We are at the beginning of a global shift and decentralized communities are the pioneers.
These communities remove the need to start businesses to solve problems while allowing greater autonomy for individual participants. Each participant’s value is based on their own skills and abilities. Each interaction is peer to peer. The qualities of this model of operation are:
Individual leadership: Participants can take on initiative, each can lead in collective efforts
Asynchronous: Participants work on their own time, without constant interaction with others
Voluntary participation: No mandatory 9/5. Participants define their own role, commitment, responsibilities. They take on as much as they please.
Dynamic, evolving, changing: New information requires quick adaptation. New roles need to be filled. Individuals redirect their efforts as they find new opportunities. Change is inherent, fueled by technological advancements.
This model grants individuals more power and freedom to shape their lives. Individuals are free to select where and how they work, so they can work from anywhere in the world. They can take on as much or as little work as they please, to fit their life. They can fit the time to learn about new fields, adapt their work to the needs of the time and keep redefining what they do, what value they can provide to society.
Original research on decentralized organizations, the tools that make them work, DAO tools, Cardano ecosystem, the regulatory picture and more.
Welcome to littlefish Foundation's research hub.
Our research hub covers many areas yet is guided with the perspective of a decentralized organization building on the Cardano blockchain. As such it will be useful primarily to Cardano users, Cardano DAOs, and Cardano builders, but all blockchain users may find something useful here.
In this resource you can find information on:
In depth reviews of DAO Tools building on Cardano: Cardano DAO Tools
Feature comparisons of many Cardano wallets: Cardano Wallets
In depth looks at some Cardano DeFi projects: Cardano DeFi
Digital work tools that help enable the type of work in DAOs: Remote Work Tools
Analysis of many blockchain regulations from token launches to tax implications: Blockchains and Law
The state of cross-chain on Cardano: Cardano Cross-Chain Solutions
Case studies of top DAOs, the tools they use, and their governance basics: DAO Case Studies
and more ...
We are a Project Catalyst powered organization. Project Catalyst is the innovation platform that funds projects building on the Cardano blockchain.
This research hub is prepared as part of three of our funded proposals in Fund 9:
Tools of DAO Work: Cardano DAO Tools, wallets, and digital work tools that enable the work of DAOs.
Ocean Technologies: Cross-chain technologies on Cardano, and interesting tech from other blockchains. https://cardano.ideascale.com/c/idea/64180
Law and the New Order: Original research by the legal team at Tevetoglu Legal, analyzing the intricacies of various regulatory topics in blockchains. https://cardano.ideascale.com/c/idea/64605
The frontier of organizations, welcome to the messy world of DAOs
DAOs are organizations that operate based on rules encoded as computer programs. They promise a new world of organizations that are transparent, voluntary, and controlled by their members. Their financial transactions and rules are maintained on a blockchain for all to observe and verify.
Let's unpack each part to understand DAOs better:
Decentralization: This refers to the lack of a central authority. In a DAO, decisions are made collectively by the organization's members, not by a single leader or a select group of executives.
Autonomy: DAOs operate automatically and independently. They are governed by smart contracts, which are self-executing contracts with the terms of the agreement directly written into code. When their conditions are met, smart contracts execute automatically, removing the need for human interaction to make things happen.
Organization: Despite being decentralized and autonomous, DAOs are still organizations. They have members, they make decisions, and they aim to achieve certain goals.
DAOs are a new way of organizing human activity. They combine the principles of decentralization, autonomy, and organization in a unique way, enabled by blockchain technology. They have the potential to democratize decision-making, increase transparency, and reduce reliance on centralized authorities.