If you cut off a spider’s head, it dies; if you cut off a starfish’s leg it grows a new one, and that leg can grow into an entirely new starfish. Traditional top-down organizations are like spiders, but now starfish organizations are changing the face of business and the world.

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?

Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom have discovered some unexpected answers, gripping stories, and a tapestry of unlikely connections. The Starfish and the Spider explores what happens when starfish take on spiders and 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.

“One of those delightful business books that transcend the genre”
—Boston Globe

“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’s also fun to read!”
—Robin Wolaner, author of Naked in the Boardroom

“A must read. Starfish are changing the face of business and society. This page-turner is provocative and compelling.”
—J. David Martin, CEO of YPO International

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. He holds a BA in Peace and Conflict Studies from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Stanford Business School.
R.A. Beckstrom is a former CEO, who founded CATS Software Inc, which he took public. Since his “retirement,” Rod has served on various private and nonprofit boards. He holds a BA and MBA from Stanford and was a Fulbright Scholar.

Imprint: Portfolio Trade
Distributor: Penguin Group USA, Inc
Publication Date: 07-29-2008
Pages: 240
Measurements: 8.48in X 5.54in X 0.61in X 0.49lb