The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations

The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations

The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations

The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations

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Overview

If you cut off a spider’s leg, it’s crippled; if you cut off its head, it dies. But if you cut off a starfish’s leg it grows a new one, and the old leg can grow into an entirely new starfish.

What’s the hidden power behind the success of Wikipedia, Craigslist, and Skype? What do eBay and General Electric have in common with the abolitionist and women’s rights movements? What fundamental choice put General Motors and Toyota on vastly different paths? How could winning a Supreme Court case be the biggest mistake MGM could have made?

After five years of ground-breaking research, Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom share some unexpected answers, gripping stories, and a tapestry of unlikely connections. The Starfish and the Spider argues that organizations fall into two categories: traditional “spiders,” which have a rigid hierarchy and top-down leadership, and revolutionary “starfish,” which rely on the power of peer relationships.

The Starfish and the Spider explores what happens when starfish take on spiders (such as the music industry vs. Napster, Kazaa, and the P2P services that followed). It reveals how established companies and institutions, from IBM to Intuit to the US government, are also learning how to incorporate starfish principles to achieve success. The book explores:

* How the Apaches fended off the powerful Spanish army for 200 years
* The power of a simple circle
* The importance of catalysts who have an uncanny ability to bring people together
* How the Internet has become a breeding ground for leaderless organizations
* How Alcoholics Anonymous has reached untold millions with only a shared ideology and without a leader

The Starfish and the Spider is the rare book that will change how you understand the world around you.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781101216408
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date: 10/05/2006
Sold by: Penguin Group
Format: eBook
Pages: 240
Sales rank: 602,771
File size: 586 KB
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Ori Brafman is a lifelong entrepreneur.  His adventures include a wireless startup, health food advocacy group, and a network of CEOs working on public benefit projects, which he co-founded with Rod Beckstrom.   He holds a BA in Peace and Conflict Studies from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Stanford Business School.

Rod A. Beckstrom is a serial start-up entrepreneur. He founded CATS Software Inc, which he took public and has helped start and build other high tech firms.  Rod has served on various private and nonprofit boards.  He holds a BA and MBA from Stanford and is a Fulbright Scholar.

Table of Contents


Introduction     1
MGM's Mistake and the Apache Mystery     9
The Spider, the Starfish, and the President of the Interent     29
A Sea of Starfish     57
Standing on Five Legs     83
The Hidden Power of the Catalyst     107
Taking on Decentralization     133
The Combo Special: The Hybrid Organization     159
In Search of the Sweet Spot     179
The New World     197
Epilogue     209
Sources     215
Acknowledgments     222
Index     225

What People are Saying About This

Paul Saffo

"Starfish lifts the lid on a massive revolution in the making, a revolution certain to reshape every organization on the planet from bridge clubs to global governments. Brafman and Beckstrom elegantly describe what is afoot and and offer a wealth of insights that will be invaluable to anyone starting something new-or rescuing something old-amidst this vast shift."
Director, Institute For The Future

Nicholas J. Nicholas

"A fantastic read. Constantly weaving stories and connections. You'll never see the world the same way again."
Former Co-CEO of Time-Warner

Robin Wolaner

"The Starfish and the Spider, like Blink, The Tipping Point, and The Wisdom of Crowds before it, showed me a provocative new way to look at the world and at business. It's also fun to read! It's a quick read, but a profound one. Every CEO should think about what aspects of catalyst leadership they embody, or can embody, for the good of their company."
author of Naked in the Boardroom

Pradeep Paunrana

"I just read The Starfish and the Spider a second time. I am writing a Board paper asking my Board to approve a completely new top management structure. I have borrowed heavily from your thoughts, and feel even in an age-old bricks and mortar industry, we can apply some of the leaderless organization rules to grow faster and be significant to our members and our communities."
CEO, Athi River Mining, Ltd., publicly listed Kenya Company

Pierre Omidyar

"The Starfish and the Spider is a compelling and important book, rich with examples of how decentralization is fundamental to what I call the 'right environment'-one that promotes equal access, rich connections and 'skin in the game' for participants."
CEO, Omidyar Network; Founder and Chairman, eBay Inc.

From the Publisher

The Starfish and the Spider is a compelling and important book.” —Pierre Omidyar, CEO, Omidyar Network and Founder and Chairman, eBay Inc.

The Starfish and the Spider, like Blink, The Tipping Point, and The Wisdom of Crowds before it, showed me a provocative new way to look at the world and at business. It's also fun to read!” —Robin Wolaner, founder, Parenting Magazine and author, Naked in the Boardroom

“A fantastic read. Constantly weaving stories and connections. You'll never see the world the same way again.” —Nicholas J. Nicholas Jr., former Co-CEO, Time Warner

“A must-read. Starfish are changing the face of business and society. This page-turner is provocative and compelling.” —David Martin, CEO, Young Presidents' Organization

The Starfish and the Spider provides a powerful prism for understanding the patterns and potential of self-organizing systems.” —Steve Jurvetson, Partner, Draper Fisher Jurvetson

The Starfish and the Spider lifts the lid on a massive revolution in the making, a revolution certain to reshape every organization on the planet from bridge clubs to global governments. Brafman and Beckstrom elegantly describe what is afoot and offer a wealth of insights that will be invaluable to anyone starting something new—or rescuing something old—amidst this vast shift.” —Paul Saffo, Director, Institute for the Future

The Starfish and the Spider is great reading. [It has] not only stimulated my thinking, but as a result of the reading, I proposed ten action points for my own organization."
—Professor Klaus Schwab, Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum

Steve Farrell

"This book explains clearly and simply the power of decentralized organization. If decentralized organization sounds like an oxymoron, read on! This is a powerful new organizational model and Brafman and Beckstrom demonstrate how and why it is taking industries by storm."
Former CEO, Enterprise Networking Systems Inc.

David Martin

"A must read. Starfish are changing the face of business and society. This page-turner is provocative and compelling."
CEO of YPO International

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