The funny thing is, we optimized communities for growth long before there was crypto, tokens and blockchain. People were given badges and special privileges as they gained influence and seniority, and there were contests that gamified the forum experience.
One of the things we work with/against here is that everyone is so busy worshiping at the Altar of Decentralization that the benefits of structure and leadership are completely thrown out the window, sometimes. We don't want anyone to be "in charge" of anything because — HORRORS! — that looks like centralization, (aka "the Boogeyman") with the grand outcome that... nothing tangible actually happens.
And yet... we have elected witnesses, but how much do those witnesses actually collaborate in a structured manner towards a greater whole?
Hi, I personally feel that there is massive scope for teamwork and working together in a system like Hive - which we are not typically seeing here from a lot of quarters. I think there are a few reasons for that, but one is that Hive inherently involves the accumulation and use of real world economic wealth and power. This is very different to forums of old, where the 'power' was just in the form of mostly meaningless points systems.
As a result of this, there are deeply ingrained psychological issues which surface in some people that would not do so otherwise. The project also attracts some people who are perhaps more 'personal wealth' oriented than they are oriented towards group goals. For example, without the money aspect people might work together for a shared goal, but due to perceived 'political differences' they won't work together on Hive (to avoid financially empowering someone they perceive as an ideological opponent). This can be mostly overcome by creating custom rewards pools that are for niche groups, who can then work together and grow with less resistance. Hive is too general for this at present it seems.
The other aspect that money brings to a decentralised online community is that the growth tends to require a certain amount of hard work, which people tend to not want to put in if they themselves will not benefit to a degree that they find acceptable - especially if other people (larger token holders) are benefiting more than them, even without doing anything at all. People generally don't mind 'being in charge' of something, if they feel the situation is balanced and generally, in an anarcho-capitalist oriented reality, that means them running their own business or similar.
Hive is not entirely anarcho-capitalist in sentiment or design and the DHF is a key tool we have to shape Hive in unique ways which deviate and which open up the potentials for variation of experience. However, at present, the DHF is not really being used optimally in that direction, simultaneously in ways that can cause substantial growth IMO.