I have picked up the Starfish and the Spider, The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations.

I am reading the corporate focused book through the lens of… what is relevant to the way we form our social movements and organizations?

The Premise:
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.

Principles of Decentralization:
- when attacked a decentralized organization tends to become even more open and decentralized
- it’ easy to mistake starfish for spiders
- an open system doesn’t have central intelligence; the intelligence is spread throughout the system
- open systems can easily mutate
- the decentralized organization sneaks up on you
- as industries become decentralized, overall profits decrease

Asking the right questions is key to identifying if an organization is a starfish or a spider.

The Right Questions:
- Is there a person in charge?
- Are there headquarters?
- If you thump it on the head, will it die?
- Is there a clear division of roles?
- If you take out a unit, is the organization harmed?
- Are knowledge and power concentrated or distributed?
- Is the organization flexible or rigid?
- Can you count the employees or participants?
- Are working groups funded by the organization or are they self-funding?

More soon…