The starfish and the spider : the unstoppable power of leaderless organizations
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. 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. This book 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.--[from Publisher's description]
1 online resource (vii, 230 pages : illustrations
9781101216408, 1101216409
1036953178
1. MGM's mistake and the Apache mystery
2. The spider, the starfish, and the president of the Internet
3. A sea of starfish
4. Standing on five legs
5. The hidden power of the catalyst
6. Taking on decentralization
7. The combo special : the hybrid organization
8. In search of the sweet spot
9. The new world
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