Comments

The article by George Packer referred to in the interview is well worth reading. I'd also like to recommend a second article that appeared in the New Yorker late last year (I don't recall the author or the title, unfortunately). The subject was "homegrown" terrorists, e.g., Americans who joined Al Qaeda, and the author makes some of the same points: what drew these people in was not the ideology, or the desire to fight for it, but because they were misfits and outsiders. The cell made them feel "included," and part of something important -- social networking, again.

I've been running into the starfish-vs.-spider issue myself: I'm the local representative of a nationwide organization, which (to give it due credit) is nonhierarchical, so I report directly to the head of the organization. In my role (and, I realized after reading this interview, in many previous ones), I tend to act as the center of the starfish, relaying information, serving the members' needs, and sometimes gently urging the animal in a particular direction. But our Director is a Director (to the point of micromanaging the local groups), and wants me to be a Director type too, so we've bumped heads a few times over the degree of control I "should" be exerting. I was beginning to wonder whether perhaps the Director was right, and I was being too nondirective -- but now it looks like I'm on the cutting edge. (Thanks, Rod and Ori!)

Posted by Paula at February 23, 2007 2:43 PM

Wow, what a concept!

BTW, speaking of terrorism (as in the first comment) I also first got introduced to the Starfish structure through a RAND paper on "Networks and Netwar: The Future of Terror, Crime, and Militancy".

http://www.fathom.com/course/21701735/index.html

I call it the Hub & Spoke Model - where the hub gains more power by DELEGATING power to the spokes - it's a delicate balance.

This is a more advanced form of the concept. I believe we will have to extract more forms from organic forms around us. There are more ways than one in which organizations can be designed on the pattern of the natural world. Though, it seems, that the hob & spoke form is the most prevalent and perhaps the "strongest."

Posted by Ramla A. at February 26, 2007 9:39 AM

An interesting variation , or should I say deception is worth mentioning . One of the CEOs, I consult with had 2 posters with the following messages prominently displayed .

" I empower my people , My people Empower me ."
" You don't manage people . You Lead people ."

He was a Control freak , would keep a tab on every senior executive , particularly the ones he thought were a little strong and powerful and generally dominate any meeting that he attends .
He was a Spider for sure with a Myers Briggs profile to support , and yet he portrayed himself to be a Starfish !
I think , this kind of Self Deception is NOT uncommon . Any one else with stories to add ?
Rajan

Posted by Rajan at February 27, 2007 6:10 AM