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The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations Audiobook
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(3.01) - 1,207 listener ratings
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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 U.S. government, are also learning how to incorporate starfish principles to achieve success. This audiobook 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 that rare book that will change how you understand the world around you.
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"THe Starfish and the Spider is an interesting book that looks at how some organizations are successfully leaderless. I found the book to be thought provoking, and engaging. I am certainly going to look harder at how to develop this type of a system in a public school."
— Mark (4 out of 5 stars)
The Starfish and the Spider Listener Reviews
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" Fairly decent look into the power and future of decentralization in our economy. Good book for those who study organizational behavior. "
— Amber, 12/10/2013 -
" Great book. Proves that leaders are not necessary for success. "
— Jeff, 10/26/2013 -
" This book was very well written. The language was easy to understand and the authors shared many interesting, relevant examples. It was very effective at describing the change our world has made towards decentralization and its impact on us. "
— Jon, 10/2/2013 -
" I stopped reading this and don't plan to finish it. It was just not interesting to me. (Sorry Kim.) "
— Abbey, 9/22/2013 -
" simple book & a quick read. i highly recommend this if you want to learn about decentralized networks. "
— Noel, 9/2/2013 -
" Overall, worth the time. Analyzes the difference between centralized and de-centralized organizations and comes to the conclusion that a hybrid of the two seems to be most successful in sustaining (centralized) and fueling (decentralized) an organization. "
— Kevin, 6/6/2013 -
" Excellent book. Apache vs. conquistador cultures, why wikipedia works, etc. I wish I had taken more notes, but I was traveling. "
— Carol, 7/24/2012 -
" Good primer on decentralization. "
— Alex, 5/1/2012 -
" Who follows and who leads in a flock, in a network or in what is labelled here as a starfish organization. Very interesting book! "
— Torstein, 1/27/2012 -
" I think the book makes a good point, and makes it clearly and concisely. It's worth reading if you are part of an organization and want to be a part of the vision for where it's going to go. "
— Jonathan, 11/29/2011 -
" 2007-Fall,non-fiction,decentralization,ebay,Amazon,management,centralization,organizational models "
— Wisteria, 8/25/2011 -
" "[T]op management is a function and a responsibility rather than a rank and a privilege." "
— Shu, 7/21/2011 -
" Only if you don't know the concept yet "
— Mark, 4/22/2011 -
" Loved this book! If you have read System Sensitive Leadership -- then you will quickly recognize<br/>systems 6 here!<br/>Great read! "
— Jim, 4/21/2011 -
" This book requires you to re-set all of your previous assumptions, held for a lifetime. This makes it truly a work that can change your whole world view and your approach to every organizational challenge.<br/> "
— S, 4/2/2011 -
" This is a must read for missional leaders who want to retooling their organizational leadership aproach. "
— Eric, 3/3/2011 -
" Read this book in Dutch for managementbook review "
— Carla, 2/7/2011 -
" The book isn't profound, but it's an easy read that provides an effective contrast between hierarchical management and empowering human initiative and creativity. "
— Robert, 1/23/2011 -
" A good book that expounds a fairly simple concept about decentralization. Strong on examples but weak on prescriptive solutions. Still, worth reading and thinking about. "
— Siddhartha, 1/9/2011 -
" Creepy business-minded book I had to read for research purposes. Still, it did provide some interesting information on decentralization. "
— Craven, 1/8/2011 -
" i think i read this book a few years too late. much of it seemed self-evident. that said, it is a light, fast read and worth the time just for the thought exercises it provokes. "
— Lawrence, 12/23/2010 -
" good... i think? it was a LOT to wrap my head around "
— Gary, 12/13/2010
About the Authors
Ori Brafman is coauthor of The Starfish and the Spider and is a renowned organizational expert who regularly speaks before Fortune 500, governmental, and military audiences. A graduate of Stanford Business School, he lives in San Francisco.
Lloyd James (a.k.a. Sean Pratt) has been narrating since 1996 and has recorded over six hundred audiobooks. He is a seven-time winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award and has twice been a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award. His critically acclaimed performances include Elvis in the Morning by William F. Buckley Jr. and Searching for Bobby Fischer by Fred Waitzkin, among others.
About Lloyd James
Lloyd James (a.k.a. Sean Pratt) has been a working professional actor in theater, film, television, and voice-overs for more than thirty years. He has narrated over one thousand audiobooks and won numerous Earphones Awards and nominations for the Audie Award and the Voice Arts Award. He holds a BFA degree in acting from Santa Fe University, New Mexico.