Roles and Responsibilities in the Web3 World
When we think of Web3, technology often comes to mind: blockchain infrastructure, smart contracts, tokens, wallets... But as I mentioned last week, this new order isn't just about software or tech.
When we think of Web3, technology often comes to mind: blockchain infrastructure, smart contracts, tokens, wallets… But as I mentioned last week, this new order isn’t just about software or tech. Web3 is changing how work gets done, how organizations are structured, and even what it means to be an “employee.”
In that piece, we talked about the questions companies often ask when they first encounter Web3: “What does this technology bring us?”, “Are there legal risks?”, or “Who will be responsible for this?” But the real question is: Who’s going to manage this new structure, and how?
Why Are Roles in Web3 So Unclear?
In what we call Web2, or the traditional business world, roles are more defined: Marketing, Product, technical teams, compliance, finance… Sure, the lines aren’t always 100% clear, but there’s usually some separation between these roles and responsibilities.
In Web3, though, everything’s a bit mixed up. A community team might handle social media, gather product feedback, and even help design the token economy all at once.
This leads to new roles emerging. A CMO working in Web3 needs to grasp community psychology, run strategies around meme coins, and keep up with the state of the token economy.
A CIO isn’t just about the technical infrastructure anymore; they’re also responsible for choosing chains, the wallet experience, and data ownership models.
New Roles: Where Did They Come From?
The Community Manager role used to be seen as just a social media expert, because engaging and interacting with the community was mostly done that way. Now, they might manage governance processes within the organization, organize votes, gather ideas, write budget proposals, and even plan events for community meetups.
Have you heard of a Token Designer? Like designing a company’s share structure, they design the token economy end-to-end; they adjust it as needed based on the current market and potential investors’ changing conditions. They simulate and decide on the token’s supply, inflation, and even what we might call “dividend” rates.
A Governance Analyst, on the other hand, analyzes the decision-making processes of communities, participation rates in votes, and the feasibility of the decisions made.
Authority, Responsibility, Accountability
In the Web3 world, decisions can take weeks of voting. But in the end, who approves the decision? Who implements it? Who’s responsible? These questions are crucial for the traditional business world.
Even though smart contracts manage this process through code, human intervention is often needed in many situations.
This brings up the issue of accountability. Saying “the community decided” might not be enough of an explanation. Especially with decisions like grant distribution, fund allocation, or product direction, clear responsibility is required just as much as in centralized structures.
For instance, if a payment from a community fund is incorrect, who takes responsibility? Is it everyone who voted, those who signed the wallet, or the person who wrote the proposal? These uncertainties can create significant gaps in relations with the outside world (like legal systems).
A company transitioning to a Web3-based work structure and distributing responsibility based on similar Web3 examples doesn’t mean responsibility disappears. On the contrary, accountability mechanisms in this new order need to be crafted more carefully.
What Can Organizations Do?
For all the reasons mentioned above, leaving all decisions to the community isn’t a viable solution.
But in this case, hybrid models come to the forefront, especially to experience the Web3 perspective: setting strategy centrally while taking input from the community.
- Small-scale pilot projects
- Token-based incentive systems
- Special programs for contributors
These methods allow traditional organizations to experience Web3 not just in theory, but in practice. Through small-scale applications, they can see which models work and understand more clearly what risks emerge.
However, each of these paths comes with its own challenges: Decision-making processes with the community can take time, incentive systems can be open to manipulation, and building sustainable relationships with contributors requires separate effort.
These approaches should be seen not just as test environments but as learning and adaptation processes.
Let’s End with an Example:
In Web2, roadmaps were usually set every three months. In Web3, a community request can lead to a change in direction within two days.
This isn’t just a difference in business processes; it’s a difference in perspective.
Roles, responsibilities, and decision-making mechanisms are being redefined. And this is possible not just with new concepts, but with new perspectives and new ways of thinking.
In the coming weeks, we’ll discuss how responsibility is shared with the community in Web3, the role of DAOs in organizations, and how success is measured in Web3 structures.