Understanding the amazing force that links some of todays most successful companies
If you cut off a spiders leg, its crippled; ... read full description
If you cut off a spiders leg, its crippled; ... read full description
reviews
Dec 17, 2009
Nick
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This is a good book to recommend to people who are not familiar with the idea of "community and conversation over command and control." If you are at all familiar with this concept, why/how open source communities work, and why the war on terror or the war on drugs are destine to fail, you could probably write this book yourself. Nonetheless, a good collection of anecdotes.
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Dec 18, 2011
Al-x4o
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Определено най-вдъхновяващата книга, която някога съм чел!
http://knigazateb.com/knigi/nehudojestve...
Тя е радикална, вдъхновяваща и обсебваща. И е от онези книги, които могат да накарат всеки да промени навиците си и дори бизнеса си, рискувайки всичо в името на една привидно щура идея. Мога съвсем честно да си призная, че тя промени и мен. Вече съм само редактор „Новини“ в сайта, който създадох и след това развих заедно с няколко души, но това ме прави още по-щастлив!
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http://knigazateb.com/knigi/nehudojestve...
Тя е радикална, вдъхновяваща и обсебваща. И е от онези книги, които могат да накарат всеки да промени навиците си и дори бизнеса си, рискувайки всичо в името на една привидно щура идея. Мога съвсем честно да си призная, че тя промени и мен. Вече съм само редактор „Новини“ в сайта, който създадох и след това развих заедно с няколко души, но това ме прави още по-щастлив!
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Dec 20, 2011
Karen
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I enjoyed this book and found inspiration to use in organizations like STC.org where we have had some turbulence over the past few years.
I had the audio book version, which has a drawback: I don't have the lists that are referenced. For example, there are 5 legs of a decentralized organization. I remember one is ideology, but I don't remember the others. I would like this sort of thing written down so they are easier to reference. I have searched for the lists and am slowly piecing the bits More...
I had the audio book version, which has a drawback: I don't have the lists that are referenced. For example, there are 5 legs of a decentralized organization. I remember one is ideology, but I don't remember the others. I would like this sort of thing written down so they are easier to reference. I have searched for the lists and am slowly piecing the bits More...
Jun 22, 2009
Nicholas
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
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Jun 02, 2009
Reviewed by Craig Williams
The overleaf of this book says, “If you cut off a spider’s head, it dies; but 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.”
A friend of mine observes in a dissertation that church organization often follows the organizational structures of the prevailing cu More...
The overleaf of this book says, “If you cut off a spider’s head, it dies; but 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.”
A friend of mine observes in a dissertation that church organization often follows the organizational structures of the prevailing cu More...
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Apr 12, 2009
Sarah
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I read this book a while ago, but a recent conversation caused me to revisit it. It's a pretty interesting read, but doesn't, to my mind, provide any major insights. It is true that de-centralized organizations are really hard to topple. The authors make this point again and again, coming back repeatedly to Napster and online file sharing as their prime example.
The thing is, that all the successful organizations they profile started with pretty low stakes. How many kids came up wit More...
The thing is, that all the successful organizations they profile started with pretty low stakes. How many kids came up wit More...
Jan 17, 2011
Brett
rated it:
A really interesting read on organizational structure and leadership. Traditional organizations are often hierarchical and authoritarian. Like spiders, if you cut off a leg (or department), it's weakened; if you cut off it's head (leader/board), and it's dead. Other organizations, however, resemble a starfish, which reproduce a new leg when one is severed (and in fact the severed leg becomes a new starfish!). These organizations are decentralized. Rather than organized around structural auth
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Dec 16, 2010
Nada
rated it:
The book has a great concept, and really opens up a new dimension of thinking, especially in the current economy. The authors have done a great job researching, and getting excellent examples and related cases that supports the main concept of the book. After the middle of the book, no new ideas or concepts were presented, and it kept repeating itself and going over the same points and examples presented from different angles.
There were a few points that the authors missed:
- How can t More...
There were a few points that the authors missed:
- How can t More...
Aug 17, 2009
Chris
rated it:
As part of my MBA curriculum, I completed a review of this book. I will spare you the full paper, but I highly enjoyed reading the theories outlined in this book. It is thoughtful and insightful, although at times the idea seems a bit stretched.
My greatest issue with Brafman's ideas is the issue of motivation - one of the most challenging topics any organization will come across. Brafman does touch on some of the motivating factors behind how and why leaderless organizations wor More...
My greatest issue with Brafman's ideas is the issue of motivation - one of the most challenging topics any organization will come across. Brafman does touch on some of the motivating factors behind how and why leaderless organizations wor More...
Mar 31, 2011
Rosa
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I’m a bit late to this, for The Starfish and the Spider was quite the darling of business book readers when it was published in 2006, and reading it now I can understand why. In the new Epilogue written for this edition, author Ori Brafman talks about “speaking starfish” saying, “it’s been exciting to see Starfish provide a language for people to describe their organizations,” something I can definitely understand and echo, for clear vocabulary and a strong language of intention is key in effect
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Dec 05, 2011
Naum
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A good read, and flushes out an apt metaphor in the Age of the Internet -- namely, the difference between a starfish and a spider. Lop off the head of a spider and it dies. But a starfish, OTOH, is not killed in such a manner and treating it in spider-like fashion is a futile exercise.
This book has received a lot of commendable feedback and while I am in agreement with the message, it was excessively repetitive and redundant -- the same stories (Napster, Apaches v. Spanish, Wikipedia, More...
This book has received a lot of commendable feedback and while I am in agreement with the message, it was excessively repetitive and redundant -- the same stories (Napster, Apaches v. Spanish, Wikipedia, More...
Nov 30, 2011
Douglas
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The Starfish and the Spider by Orj Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom
This book was published back in 2006, but I only discovered it recently. The main topic is a discussion of decentralized (starfish) organizations versus centralized (spider) organizations. While I have been living with decentralized organizations for a long time, it is nice to see the differences, and the usefulness, of decentralized organizations laid out in such a clear fashion with some great examples.
From More...
This book was published back in 2006, but I only discovered it recently. The main topic is a discussion of decentralized (starfish) organizations versus centralized (spider) organizations. While I have been living with decentralized organizations for a long time, it is nice to see the differences, and the usefulness, of decentralized organizations laid out in such a clear fashion with some great examples.
From More...
Jul 05, 2010
Janell
rated it:
This novel by Brafman, an organizational expert, and Beckstrom, a "serial start-up entrepreneur", discusses the differences in "starfish" vs. "spider" organizations. Starfish, or decentralized, organizations are those such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Craigslist, who are without a clear leader and like the starfish, can survive even if one of its proverbial "legs" were cut off. Spider, or traditional "centralized" organizations, such as MGM, rely
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Nov 03, 2008
Nathan
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This is a great book that would go well with "Good to Great." It allows us to see the obvious nature of how organizations form and why they form and how that effects what they organize themselves to do.
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Sep 01, 2009
Mary
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Great, great book. You find it under "Management and Leadership" at B&N but I promise that it doesn't read like a text book. Very interesting and a very easy read; explains how and why leaderless organizations (starfish) thrive and how structured, top down organizations (spiders) run into trouble and sometimes fail. Not saying that all structured organizations/companies with a CEO fail but it shows how organizations/institutions like AA, Wikipedia, online music sharing, Craigslist,
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Jul 27, 2009
Katie
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I ran out of books to read on vacation and ended up reading this business book I had brought for Dennis. I did not have high hopes for it as reading a business book really didn't sound appealing, but it was actually very good! Well written and interesting, it made for a quick read. While the book was about centralized versus decentralized leadership of companies, the authors used interesting and relevant examples to illustrate their points, such as the MGM versus companies like Napster, the U.S.
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Mar 25, 2011
Micah
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This book discuses the difference between centralized and decentralized organizations. A spider has a head and a body with eight legs coming out of it. If the spider loses a few legs it will not be able to function as well but it will still live. If you take out its head, it dies. A centralized organization has a clear leader, a hierarchy that is necessary for it to function. A starfish is a completely different creature. A starfish has no central brain. The organism is completely decentra
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Feb 28, 2010
James
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“The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations”
Respect.
Consider this a companion piece to The Long Tail.
The influence and potential for decentralization in the modern world is palpable, from the Internet to terrorist networks. And thus, the metaphor: cut the head off of a centralized power and it dies (spider), but cut the arm off of a decentralized power and it mutates into several powers (starfish).
With only one caveat: the authors spend much More...
Respect.
Consider this a companion piece to The Long Tail.
The influence and potential for decentralization in the modern world is palpable, from the Internet to terrorist networks. And thus, the metaphor: cut the head off of a centralized power and it dies (spider), but cut the arm off of a decentralized power and it mutates into several powers (starfish).
With only one caveat: the authors spend much More...
Nov 15, 2011
Hathal
rated it:
I read it because I read Sway. A strategy book about decentralization. In the book, several examples taken from different historical eras where a decentralized community is described and, sometimes, compared to a centralized one from the same background. Each example is written in a story telling way that kept me eager to know what's coming next. Although the examples were meant, in essence, to make one point which is: hitting what you believe to be the head of a decentralized organization will
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Aug 12, 2011
Fascinating book about how leaderless organisations have been game-changers. It is about how Catalysts and Champions build leaderless organizations (what the authors call 'circles') that pull people in to a cause and empower them.
Some things I want to think about are:
- How and where can the hybrid model (proposed by the authors)--between a traditional, hierarchy structure and a leaderless, decentralized structure, be leveraged?
- What are the leadership skills needed to achieve the above?
Definit More...
Some things I want to think about are:
- How and where can the hybrid model (proposed by the authors)--between a traditional, hierarchy structure and a leaderless, decentralized structure, be leveraged?
- What are the leadership skills needed to achieve the above?
Definit More...
Apr 16, 2011
Jeff
rated it:
An interesting read about how decentralization of an organization leads to opportunities.
The first major principle of decentralization: when attacked a decentralized organization tends to become even more open and decentralized.
(When you cut off a spider's head, it dies. But if you cut off a starfish's leg, it grows a new one, and that leg can grow into an entirely new starfish. Traditionally top-down organizations are like spiders, but now starfish organizations are changing More...
The first major principle of decentralization: when attacked a decentralized organization tends to become even more open and decentralized.
(When you cut off a spider's head, it dies. But if you cut off a starfish's leg, it grows a new one, and that leg can grow into an entirely new starfish. Traditionally top-down organizations are like spiders, but now starfish organizations are changing More...
Oct 12, 2010
Leslie
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The central premise of this book is that many important organizations operate more powerfully when they are decentralized. Essentially, the starfish is an organism lacking a CNS. Each arm requests the cooperation of the others to coordinate movement, and cutting off its legs allows regeneration. Terrorist cells, Wikipedia, and craigslist all operate similarly. The book explains traits, including strengths and weaknesses, of these starfish-like organizations as opposed to more traditional cen
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Apr 01, 2010
Jonathan
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If you liked this book, you will also like The Cluetrain Manifesto. While I enjoyed the book, it felt to lack the weight of a definitive work. It seemed like they had a theory and found a few examples that would support it rather than deeply studying a phenomenon and finding the intrinsic nature of it. I also think that the authors allowed their politics (not a capital P) slip into the book just enough to reinforce that feeling that they had an agenda rather than reporting on a world-changing ag
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May 05, 2010
Matt
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A contrasting look at two different organizational structures, centralized and decentralized, and their relevance in the past as well as their practical applications today. Sometimes business books exist to champion a specific methodology ignoring the existence and viability of alternatives. The Starfish and the Spider is not one of those books, because it eloquently presents arguments for both structures presented.
The Starfish and the Spider is a great read for anyone in leadership More...
The Starfish and the Spider is a great read for anyone in leadership More...
Aug 14, 2009
Mark
rated it:
A different take on new organizational structures.
When I started this book, I thought it was going to be a re-hash of the "new organization" I've read before. I'm glad I continued reading, as the authors do an excellent job of showing how the "new organization" isn't "new" at all.
The paperback includes an additional chapter about reactions to the first edition. The authors were surprised by the interest of the military in the book. Further e More...
When I started this book, I thought it was going to be a re-hash of the "new organization" I've read before. I'm glad I continued reading, as the authors do an excellent job of showing how the "new organization" isn't "new" at all.
The paperback includes an additional chapter about reactions to the first edition. The authors were surprised by the interest of the military in the book. Further e More...
Feb 25, 2009
Stan
rated it:
Great book for understanding the power of networking in the current culture. Huge implications to the church, although this is not a book about the church. As my friend Warren Johnson often reminds me - All truth is God;s truth. My take away from this book:
The Head of the Church - Jesus Christ was killed yet he lives eternally, thus the church is now a Starfish organization.
The church invest in Spider organization commodities - buildings, pastor, programs and yet the church thrives b More...
The Head of the Church - Jesus Christ was killed yet he lives eternally, thus the church is now a Starfish organization.
The church invest in Spider organization commodities - buildings, pastor, programs and yet the church thrives b More...
Feb 10, 2012
Yes, I enjoyed this and I really like the metaphor they are using here of starfish and spiders - each relating to a style of management.
This book is up to date with lots of modern references (does make me worry that it will date badly though) and I liked the historical comparisons with modern day scenarios.
It is an engaging book, but not as inspiring as some of the books I have read recently - the Element and Good to great for example.
Still a book packed with exa More...
This book is up to date with lots of modern references (does make me worry that it will date badly though) and I liked the historical comparisons with modern day scenarios.
It is an engaging book, but not as inspiring as some of the books I have read recently - the Element and Good to great for example.
Still a book packed with exa More...
Apr 19, 2009
Darren
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This book clarified a lot of ideas and inspired me to believe in the vast potential to do good. It is the missing link that clarifies an unusual concept of good and evil. That is, the fight for diversity from the good, and the fight for the destruction of diversity from the evil. This book is a summary of practical examples of this age old conflict of good vs. evil. From the success of the internet, to the Apache Indians, to the US constitution, and Toyota car manufacturers to name a few. G
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May 02, 2011
Gary
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This is a really interesting and timely book that explored the merits of so-called leaderless organizations. Centralized organizations do not adapt well and can be defeated by targeting the leadership (this is analagous to the spider), while distributed organization with "flat" structures do not have such dependence on one person or group of people (like a starfish, which grows back if you cut off one of its arms).
I finished the audiobook today while riding my bike, thinki More...
I finished the audiobook today while riding my bike, thinki More...
Mar 17, 2011
Christine
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I grudgingly picked up this book for work, read two chapters, and then let this book sit until last week. Once I dove in, I couldn't believe I let this book sit for so long.
This book discusses two major types of organizations - leaderless and centralized. Leaderless organizations are called starfish because you can cut the starfish into pieces, and the being lives and thrives through being divided. It's compared to centralized organizations, which are called spiders because once you More...
This book discusses two major types of organizations - leaderless and centralized. Leaderless organizations are called starfish because you can cut the starfish into pieces, and the being lives and thrives through being divided. It's compared to centralized organizations, which are called spiders because once you More...
