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Michel Avi­tal

Professor

Subjects
Decentralisation Organisation Design Digitalisation Technology Democracy

Primary research areas

Demo­crat­ic Or­gan­iz­a­tion & Di­git­al Gov­ernance
Ex­plores emer­ging or­gan­iz­a­tion­al mod­els that em­body demo­crat­ic eth­os and prac­tices en­abled by block­chain and token­iz­a­tion, such as DAOs, de­cent­ral­ized col­lect­ives, and poly­centric or­gan­iz­a­tions. Through dis­trib­uted power, own­er­ship, and de­cision-mak­ing, such or­gan­iz­a­tions pro­mote demo­crat­ic par­ti­cip­a­tion and autonomy bey­ond tra­di­tion­al hier­arch­ies.
Block­chain and Token-Based Eco­nom­ies
Ex­am­ines how block­chain tech­no­lo­gies and token-based sys­tems are re­shap­ing value cre­ation, own­er­ship, and gov­ernance. This in­cludes the rise of crypto­cur­ren­cies, token eco­nom­ies, di­git­al as­sets, and de­cent­ral­ized fin­ance, along with the or­gan­iz­a­tion­al struc­tures and di­git­al.
Quantum Tech­no­lo­gies Busi­ness Fron­ti­ers
Ex­plores the trans­form­at­ive po­ten­tial of quantum com­put­ing and the emer­ging do­main of quantum busi­ness. High­lights how quantum tech­no­lo­gies un­lock new busi­ness op­por­tun­it­ies by open­ing new fron­ti­ers in com­pu­ta­tion, op­tim­iz­a­tion, sim­u­la­tion, ar­ti­fi­cial in­tel­li­gence, and stra­tegic in­nov­a­tion.
Design, In­nov­a­tion and Di­git­al Trans­formation
In­teg­rates design think­ing, gen­er­at­ive meth­ods, and or­gan­iz­a­tion­al de­vel­op­ment and change prac­tices to nur­ture hu­man-centered in­nov­a­tion, fu­ture-ready en­ter­prises, and di­git­al trans­formation.
Di­git­al Entrepreneur­ship and New Mar­kets
Takes a stab at the rise of en­tre­pren­eur­i­al activ­ity in di­git­al con­texts and eco­sys­tems. Em­phas­izes op­por­tun­ity dis­cov­ery, ven­ture de­vel­op­ment, and scal­able value cre­ation through data net­work ef­fects, nov­el col­lab­or­a­tion mod­els, ex­ten­ded real­ity en­vir­on­ments, and fu­ture-ori­ented paradigms.

Build­ing a Bet­ter World To­geth­er

Design and innovation are the leitmotifs in my work that focus on examining the crossroads of information, technology, and people. My research combines both soft and hard methods to advance theory and knowledge about how digital technologies are developed, applied, managed, and consumed in organizational and social contexts. A central theme of my work is exploring the mechanics of collective organizations and their potential to empower individuals, foster inclusivity, and serve as an agent of world benefit. I am particularly interested in research with enduring consequences and value partnerships with business organizations, grassroots communities, and policymakers. 

Publications

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2025

Constructing Democratic Organizations with Digital Technology

Mi­chel Avi­tal, Professor

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2025

Enacting Accountability in Decentralized Organizations

A Study of the Optimism Collective DAO

Nina-Birte Schirrmacher

Mi­chel Avi­tal, Professor

Johannes Rude Jensen

Omri Ross
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2025

Collective Strategic Decision-Making in DAOs

Johannes Rude Jensen

Nina-Birte Schirrmacher

Mi­chel Avi­tal, Professor

Omri Ross
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Outside activities

Vis­it­ing Pro­fess­or, Uni­ver­sity of Ice­land , 2024 - present