
The Starfish and the Spider
The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $22.99
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Sean Pratt
About this listen
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
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Questions Are the Answer
- A Breakthrough Approach to Your Most Vexing Problems at Work and in Life
- By: Hal Gregersen
- Narrated by: Rick Adamson
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For innovation and leadership guru Hal Gregersen, the power of questions has always been clear - but it took some years for the follow-on question to hit him: If so much depends on fresh questions, shouldn’t we know more about how to arrive at them? That sent him on a research quest ultimately including more than 200 interviews with creative thinkers. Questions Are the Answer delivers the insights Gregersen gained about the conditions that give rise to catalytic questions - and breakthrough insights - and how anyone can create them.
-
-
All you need is the title
- By Bob Jordy on 01-13-22
By: Hal Gregersen
-
The Starfish and the Spirit
- Unleashing the Leadership Potential of Churches and Organizations
- By: Lance Ford, Rob Wegner, Alan Hirsch, and others
- Narrated by: Thom Bromhead, Lance Ford, Rob Wegner
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The joy and vigor coming from a collective strength, intelligence, and skill in the community of leaders not only brings greater potency but better yields for your ministry. What would it be like to see this kind of healthy leadership reproduced into the second, third, and fourth generation, on multiple strands?
-
-
Great book
- By Elvis G. on 02-07-22
By: Lance Ford, and others
-
Team of Teams
- New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World
- By: General Stanley McChrystal, Tantum Collins, David Silverman, and others
- Narrated by: Paul Michael
- Length: 12 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The retired four-star general and and best-selling author of My Share of the Task shares a powerful new leadership model. Former General Stanley McChrystal held a key position for much of the War on Terror, as head of the Joint Special Operations Command. In Iraq, he found that despite the vastly superior resources, manpower, and training of the US Military, Al Qaeda had an advantage because of its structure as a loose network of small, independent cells. To defeat such an agile enemy, JSOC had to change its focus from efficiency to adaptability.
-
-
excellent book, very informative.
- By J.J. Gardona on 08-24-15
By: General Stanley McChrystal, and others
-
Radical Inclusion
- What the Post-9/11 World Should Have Taught Us About Leadership
- By: Martin Dempsey, Ori Brafman
- Narrated by: Alex Hyde-White
- Length: 5 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Forty-one-year Army veteran General (Ret.) Martin Dempsey and 41-year-old UC Berkeley associate professor Ori Brafman have been friends for almost 10 years. Though they have almost nothing in common, their collaboration has produced a powerful message. Their new book, Radical Inclusion, examines today’s leadership landscape and describes the change it demands of leaders. The nature of power is changing and should not be measured by degree of control alone.
-
-
good book
- By Raman on 07-02-19
By: Martin Dempsey, and others
-
The Infinite Game
- By: Simon Sinek
- Narrated by: Simon Sinek
- Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Finite games, like football or chess, have known players, fixed rules, and a clear endpoint. The winners and losers are easily identified. Infinite games, games with no finish line, like business or politics, or life itself, have players who come and go. The rules of an infinite game are changeable, while infinite games have no defined endpoint. There are no winners or losers - only ahead and behind. The question is, how do we play to succeed in the game we’re in? In this revelatory new audiobook, Simon Sinek offers a framework for leading with an infinite mindset.
-
-
I love Sinek but...
- By Amazon Customer on 11-11-19
By: Simon Sinek
-
The Culture Code
- The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups
- By: Daniel Coyle
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle goes inside some of the world's most successful organizations - including Pixar, the San Antonio Spurs, and the US Navy's SEAL Team Six - and reveals what makes them tick. He demystifies the culture-building process by identifying three key skills that generate cohesion and cooperation and explains how diverse groups learn to function with a single mind.
-
-
Anyone in a leadership position should read this
- By Kimberly on 03-04-18
By: Daniel Coyle
-
Questions Are the Answer
- A Breakthrough Approach to Your Most Vexing Problems at Work and in Life
- By: Hal Gregersen
- Narrated by: Rick Adamson
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For innovation and leadership guru Hal Gregersen, the power of questions has always been clear - but it took some years for the follow-on question to hit him: If so much depends on fresh questions, shouldn’t we know more about how to arrive at them? That sent him on a research quest ultimately including more than 200 interviews with creative thinkers. Questions Are the Answer delivers the insights Gregersen gained about the conditions that give rise to catalytic questions - and breakthrough insights - and how anyone can create them.
-
-
All you need is the title
- By Bob Jordy on 01-13-22
By: Hal Gregersen
-
The Starfish and the Spirit
- Unleashing the Leadership Potential of Churches and Organizations
- By: Lance Ford, Rob Wegner, Alan Hirsch, and others
- Narrated by: Thom Bromhead, Lance Ford, Rob Wegner
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The joy and vigor coming from a collective strength, intelligence, and skill in the community of leaders not only brings greater potency but better yields for your ministry. What would it be like to see this kind of healthy leadership reproduced into the second, third, and fourth generation, on multiple strands?
-
-
Great book
- By Elvis G. on 02-07-22
By: Lance Ford, and others
-
Team of Teams
- New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World
- By: General Stanley McChrystal, Tantum Collins, David Silverman, and others
- Narrated by: Paul Michael
- Length: 12 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The retired four-star general and and best-selling author of My Share of the Task shares a powerful new leadership model. Former General Stanley McChrystal held a key position for much of the War on Terror, as head of the Joint Special Operations Command. In Iraq, he found that despite the vastly superior resources, manpower, and training of the US Military, Al Qaeda had an advantage because of its structure as a loose network of small, independent cells. To defeat such an agile enemy, JSOC had to change its focus from efficiency to adaptability.
-
-
excellent book, very informative.
- By J.J. Gardona on 08-24-15
By: General Stanley McChrystal, and others
-
Radical Inclusion
- What the Post-9/11 World Should Have Taught Us About Leadership
- By: Martin Dempsey, Ori Brafman
- Narrated by: Alex Hyde-White
- Length: 5 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Forty-one-year Army veteran General (Ret.) Martin Dempsey and 41-year-old UC Berkeley associate professor Ori Brafman have been friends for almost 10 years. Though they have almost nothing in common, their collaboration has produced a powerful message. Their new book, Radical Inclusion, examines today’s leadership landscape and describes the change it demands of leaders. The nature of power is changing and should not be measured by degree of control alone.
-
-
good book
- By Raman on 07-02-19
By: Martin Dempsey, and others
-
The Infinite Game
- By: Simon Sinek
- Narrated by: Simon Sinek
- Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Finite games, like football or chess, have known players, fixed rules, and a clear endpoint. The winners and losers are easily identified. Infinite games, games with no finish line, like business or politics, or life itself, have players who come and go. The rules of an infinite game are changeable, while infinite games have no defined endpoint. There are no winners or losers - only ahead and behind. The question is, how do we play to succeed in the game we’re in? In this revelatory new audiobook, Simon Sinek offers a framework for leading with an infinite mindset.
-
-
I love Sinek but...
- By Amazon Customer on 11-11-19
By: Simon Sinek
-
The Culture Code
- The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups
- By: Daniel Coyle
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle goes inside some of the world's most successful organizations - including Pixar, the San Antonio Spurs, and the US Navy's SEAL Team Six - and reveals what makes them tick. He demystifies the culture-building process by identifying three key skills that generate cohesion and cooperation and explains how diverse groups learn to function with a single mind.
-
-
Anyone in a leadership position should read this
- By Kimberly on 03-04-18
By: Daniel Coyle
-
Curious
- The Desire to Know and Why Your Future Depends On It
- By: Ian Leslie
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Everyone is born curious. But only some retain the habits of exploring, learning, and discovering as they grow older. Those who do so tend to be smarter, more creative, and more successful. But at the very moment when the rewards of curiosity have never been higher, it is misunderstood and undervalued, and increasingly monopolized by the cognitive elite. A "curiosity divide" is opening up.
-
-
A very good book, but HORRIBLE narration!
- By David W on 04-08-25
By: Ian Leslie
-
Turn the Ship Around!
- A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders
- By: L. David Marquet, Stephen R. Covey - foreword
- Narrated by: L. David Marquet
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since Turn the Ship Around! was published in 2013, hundreds of thousands of readers have been inspired by former Navy captain David Marquet’s true story. Many have applied his insights to their own organizations, creating workplaces where everyone takes responsibility for his or her actions, where followers grow to become leaders, and where happier teams drive dramatically better results.
-
-
Creating Leadership and Competence at All Levels
- By Matthew on 05-04-21
By: L. David Marquet, and others
-
WAR
- By: Sebastian Junger
- Narrated by: Sebastian Junger
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Junger turns his brilliant and empathetic eye to the reality of combat - the fear, the honor, and the trust among men in an extreme situation whose survival depends on their absolute commitment to one another. His on-the-ground account follows a single platoon through a 15-month tour of duty in the most dangerous outpost in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley.
-
-
Why we fight re-visited
- By J on 09-20-10
By: Sebastian Junger
-
The 6 Types of Working Genius
- A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations, and Your Team
- By: Patrick M. Lencioni
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 4 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Beyond the personal discovery and instant relief that Working Genius provides, the model also gives teams a remarkably simple and practical framework for tapping into one another’s natural gifts, which increases productivity and reduces unnecessary judgment.
-
-
Very nice after the long detailed story.
- By Federico on 11-05-22
-
Tribes
- We Need You to Lead Us
- By: Seth Godin
- Narrated by: Seth Godin
- Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tribes are groups of people aligned around an idea, connected to a leader and to each other. Tribes make our world work, and always have. The new opportunity is that it's easier than ever to find, organize, and lead a tribe. The Web has enabled an explosion of all kinds of tribes - and created shortage of people to lead them. This is the growth industry of our time. Tribes will help you understand exactly what's at stake, and why YOU can and should lead a tribe of your own.
-
-
Get to the point!!!
- By Katie on 02-26-09
By: Seth Godin
-
Out of the Mountains
- The Coming Age of the Urban Guerrilla
- By: David Kilcullen
- Narrated by: Christopher Kipiniak
- Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Americans think of modern warfare, what comes to mind is the US army skirmishing with terrorists and insurgents in the mountains of Afghanistan. But the face of global conflict is ever-changing. In Out of the Mountains, David Kilcullen, one of the world's leading experts on current and future conflict, offers a groundbreaking look at what may happen after today's wars end.
-
-
Insightful analysis
- By Anon on 11-06-19
By: David Kilcullen
-
Monsoon
- The Indian Ocean and the Future of American Power
- By: Robert D. Kaplan
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 13 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the world maps common in America, the Western Hemisphere lies front and center, while the Indian Ocean region all but disappears. This convention reveals the geopolitical focus of the now-departed 20th century, but in the 21st century, that focus will fundamentally change. In this pivotal examination of the countries known as “Monsoon Asia”—which include India, Pakistan, China, Indonesia, Burma, Oman, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Tanzania—best-selling author Robert D. Kaplan explains how crucial this dynamic area has become to American power.
-
-
A map is worth a thousand words ...
- By Loren on 06-03-12
By: Robert D. Kaplan
-
Extreme Ownership
- How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win
- By: Jocko Willink, Leif Babin
- Narrated by: Jocko Willink, Leif Babin
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An updated edition of the blockbuster best-selling leadership book that took America and the world by storm, two US Navy SEAL officers who led the most highly decorated special operations unit of the Iraq War demonstrate how to apply powerful leadership principles from the battlefield to business and life.
-
-
I don't read SEAL Books...
- By Amazon Customer on 02-21-17
By: Jocko Willink, and others
-
Improv Wisdom
- Don't Prepare, Just Show Up
- By: Patricia Ryan Madson
- Narrated by: Patricia Ryan Madson
- Length: 4 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In an irresistible invitation to lighten up, look around, and live an unscripted life, a Stanford University professor and master of the art of improvisation explains how to adopt the attitudes and techniques used by generations of musicians and actors. These secrets are currently being taught to entrepreneurs, engineers, and first responders in a crisis as well as housewives and Alzheimer caregivers. Let's face it: Life is something we all make up as we go along.
-
-
Not what I expected.
- By Jane on 03-19-14
-
Principles
- Life and Work
- By: Ray Dalio
- Narrated by: Ray Dalio, Jeremy Bobb
- Length: 16 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ray Dalio, one of the world's most successful investors and entrepreneurs, shares the unconventional principles that he's developed, refined, and used over the past 40 years to create unique results in both life and business - and which any person or organization can adopt to help achieve their goals.
-
-
Idea-meritocracy/Principles Reference
- By P Eberle on 06-30-18
By: Ray Dalio
-
Listen Up or Lose Out
- How to Avoid Miscommunication, Improve Relationships, and Get More Done Faster
- By: Dorothy Grover Bolton, Robert Bolton
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Listening might seem like the easiest thing in the world to do. But most people retain only a fraction of what they hear, resulting in miscommunications and lost opportunities. When you actively listen, you learn to gather perspectives, bridge differences, and resolve problems. Absorbing what a person is saying, thinking, and feeling sets the stage for dramatically improved relationships and increased professional success.
-
-
Shhh
- By Amazon Customer on 06-06-18
By: Dorothy Grover Bolton, and others
-
Good to Great
- Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't
- By: Jim Collins
- Narrated by: Jim Collins
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Built To Last, the defining management study of the 90s, showed how great companies triumph over time and how long-term sustained performance can be engineered into the DNA of an enterprise from the very beginning. But what about companies that are not born with great DNA? How can good companies, mediocre companies, even bad companies achieve enduring greatness?
-
-
Good info, over-the-top narration
- By Anaxamaxan on 08-31-10
By: Jim Collins
the person reading this was amazing.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great Read!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Decent but no banana
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Leaderless organizations
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Brilliant and insightful
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Meh.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great for Leadership
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I would have appreciated a more in depth view of both the advantages and disadvantages of centralization and decentralization with a discussion of the historical backdrop (i.e. how did we get to centralized control in the 20th century from decentralized nomadic tribes and what factors contribute to decentralization becoming more common now). This framework would have better facilitated a final chapter on how to best combine the features of both structures and lead to a more complete argument.
under developed
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
IMA Catalyst
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Eye- opening for small nonprofits
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.