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Ori Brafman

Rod A. Beckstrom

The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations Paperback – July 29, 2008

by Ori Brafman (Author), Rod A. Beckstrom (Author)

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If you cut off a spider?s head, it dies; if you cut off a starfish?s leg it grows a new one, and that leg can grow into an entirely new starfish. Traditional top-down organizations are like spiders, but now starfish organizations are changing the face of business and the world.

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?

Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom have discovered some unexpected answers, gripping stories, and a tapestry of unlikely connections. The Starfish and the Spider explores what happens when starfish take on spiders and reveals how established companies and institutions, from IBM to Intuit to the U.S. government, are also learning how to incorporate starfish principles to achieve success.

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Editorial Reviews

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“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'salso 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

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.

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Portfolio; Reprint edition (July 29, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9781591841838
ISBN-13: 978-1591841838
ASIN: 1591841836
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Customer Reviews: 280 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,534 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #53 in Sociology of Social Theory
- #897 in Behavioral Sciences (Books)
- #250 in Workplace Culture (Books)

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Nik Heckman

Add this to your collection

December 11, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Had to get this book for class, and wasn't looking forward to reading it but much to my surprise found myself drawn into it right from the beginning. It's a great book about key differences between organizational structures in companies with many examples that people will recognize. It's very well written in a way that a person who doesn't have any previous knowledge about organizational hierarchies or structures (e.g. me) can easily understand it.

I've already loaned my copy to a friend and they say that it's hard for them to put down.

11 people found this helpful

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The Great Spamtini

Nice coffee table book, not a serious leadership book

August 25, 2018

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I first heard about this book through one of the Chief of Staff of the Army's reading list (not the current CSA), and it is also on the VCSA reading list. It's intended to give the current leader a perspective on the starfish effect of decentralized organizations. This type of approach can be effective in small organizations or in emerging technologies. But I can't see it working in its entirety on a modern corporation. Towards the end of the book, the authors mentioned that there has to be a balance of the starfish effect. Having enough innovation and catalysts to cause change, but still retain a centralized organization. Well, this is like common sense. A 100% centralized organization cannot thrive in the modern economy, and a 100% decentralized organization might work for high school or college students running a tech upstart. The book was written in 2005 or 2006, so the NUMMI auto plant example worked at the time, but the plant shut down in 2010 due to the subprime mortgage crisis an the serious economic meltdown. It's now mainly owned by Tesla, to produce Tesla Model S cars. And the NUMMI plant made some of the lamest and soulless cars in existence (80s Chevy Nova, Corolla, Geo/Chevy Prizm, Matrix/Vibe etc...)

Overall: It's worth a read, but would be more apropos on a coffee table or as a summer reading "extra" versus a serious academic evaluation of different approaches to leadership.

6 people found this helpful

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Angela S

You don't follow a catalyst because you have to....

August 1, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations compares centralized and decentralized organizations. A centralized organization is much like a spider; cut off its head and the spider dies. A decentralized organization, on the other hand, is like a starfish. When an arm of the starfish is cut off, the starfish generates an entirely new body.

Published in 2006, Brafman and Beckstrom explore and explain the increase in the number of decentralized organizations. Their discussions of organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Napster, and Al-Qaeda make the concepts of decentralized organizations not only pertinent to today’s economy and culture, but also understandable. The traditional top-down hierarchy of centralized organizations creates levels of bureaucracy that make change within an organization slow-going. By the time the change is implemented, it is out of date and in need of modification. These spider organizations have a command and control which dictates the movement of the organization; those employed must comply or risk being out of a job. A decentralized organization creates an environment where there is no head; all are equal and free to contribute to the changes and sustainment within an organization, acting as a form of distributed leadership. In this starfish organization, the members of the group must convince all other members to move and change; the collective make changes happen. Norms, not rules, control a starfish organization.

The internet has changed how we view the world, the next generation of professionals and work-force employees will have grown up with access to knowledge, and the ability to contribute to that knowledge freely. Employees are looking for the catalyst for change to get the starfish moving, and then having that catalyst get out of the way so the employees can make the organization successful. This book is a key addition to professional reading lists for leaders and managers at all levels, educators and students, as well as employees within any organization.

7 people found this helpful

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