The Starfish And The Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations

Description

Cut off a spider's head, and it dies; cut off a starfish's leg and it grows a new one, and that leg can grow into an entirely new starfish. Traditional top-down organisations are like spiders, but now starfish organisations are changing the face of business and the world. What's the hidden power behind the success of Wikipedia and Skype? What does Ebay have in common with the women's rights movement? The authors have discovered some unexpected answers, gripping stories and a tapestry of unlikely connections.

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.

"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