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“Fascinating!
beth k wrote this review Tuesday, August 25 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
A very different and yet compelling look at the world.
and how things are connected.
”
“Soundview Executive Book Summaries deemed this as one of the *30 Best Business Books for 2008.
Soundview Executive Book Summaries wrote this review Friday, July 24 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
What you will learn from this title:
• The right questions to ask when distinguishing a starfish organization from a spider organization.
• The rise of successful starfish organizations, such as Skype, craigslist and Wikipedia.
• The importance of circles, catalysts and ideology to the starfish organization.
• The key differences between catalysts and CEOs.
• Specific strategies to defeat starfish organizations.
• Rules for living in the new world of decentralization.
http://www.summary.com/p/The-Starfish-and-the-Spider/ ”“It's great.”
Mostafa M wrote this review Wednesday, June 24 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Good book... covers the concepts well with many real life examples. My only complaint is that is almost over explains the concepts to the point you want to skip ahead... "Yes I get it... cutting off a spider's head kills it". Still a very worthwhile read... good for a christmas present for your boss.”
Lynn Wallenstein wrote this review Wednesday, April 22 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“The idea of "leaderless organizations" is something that captivates me. The language speaks of equality and cooperation. This book examines how some of today's most successful communities and organizations are lead by many in contrast to a few. From Napster, Craig's List, and the Apache Indians are but a few amazingly decentralized entities practicing non-heirarchtical systems. This is a worth while read for anyone in any kind of significant leadership role. Be humbled and realize that the success of a organization isn't based upon one's abilities, but rather many focused on a common good is better than the one. ”
Casey F wrote this review Tuesday, February 17 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I liked this book for what it offered for believers looking to understand what is intrinsically troubling about high vertical leadership structures in Church life. What this book is missing, for our purposes, is any revelation of the Family. By that I mean, the family is not leaderless nor is it "flat" but it is definitely not an management style org either. Read with some caution with this in mind, and ask God for insights on how a family in the natural or spiritual is directed by the imparting of values rather than a task list. ”
Ben Pasley wrote this review Tuesday, November 25 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“This is easy to read yet quite thought-provoking. It starts with the tremendous impact leaderless organizations (starfish) are having on our modern world. These new organizations are contrasted with the more traditional hierarchical business model (the spider). The music industry's reaction to Napster is examined, and the subsequent birth of other newer, even more decentralized business models. Befitting the chaotic nature of such organizations, the book meanders a bit as it examines various real-world manifestations of this phenomenon. But each case presented is interesting in its own right and each contributes to an overall quite satisfying and instructive lesson in the evolution of business organizations. ”
David T wrote this review Sunday, September 7 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“A few months ago I ran across Rod Beckstrom’s website (www.beckstrom.com), which is mainly about his new book, The Starfish and the Spider. I was fascinated by the concept and found his video on the site very entertaining, so I got the book and read it with interest. The core principle contrasts “spider” organizations with “starfish” organizations. Turns out that spiders are very centralized, rather like humans. Cut off their heads and they die. In contrast, starfish are decentralized creatures. Sever a leg, and another one grows back. Remove all the legs, and remarkably, each one can grow a new starfish. All the biological information and equipment required for the starfish exists in each leg. Well, you see where this is going. Traditional companies are like spiders, with a CEO running a top-down organization. Command and control, maybe sprinkled with a little distributed autonomy. But a new type of organization is beginning to emerge, stimulated largely by the existing internet network, that are more like the starfish. Alcoholics Anonymous is a starfish organization. No one controls it. You can start a chapter wherever you want. Napster was a starfish organization, as are virtually all P2P file-sharing services. Maybe the ultimate starfish is the Internet. (Beckstrom tells a great story from the mid-90’s when some French investors asked an ISP CEO who was the president of the Internet, and couldn’t fathom the idea that no one controlled it.) It’s power to the people. These organizations are very difficult to kill. Cut off a limb, and another grows back. And there are also, quite appropriately, hybrid organizations—part starfish and part spider. Ebay is one of these. The payment structure is all spider, with a centralized PayPal service for your protection. But the network of buyers and sellers, policed by member ratings, is very much starfish. Beckstrom points out great benefits to decentralized organizations, including something of a moral charge. If you’re a fan of democracies, then relinquishing control to members has something more than a practical appeal—it seems romantically idealistic. The Starfish and The Spider is the kind of book that stimulates your thinking, and after reading it I had all manner of visions and ideas floating around in my head. And I’ll never look at starfish the same way again.”
Bill A wrote this review Saturday, June 14 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Review from Shelfari:
John P wrote this review Sunday, June 8 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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”
