Just finished The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations.
It’s a quick read with some great stories comparing decentralized and centralized organizations.
Here is the book description:
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 US government, are also learning how to incorporate starfish principles to achieve success. The book 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
Do you think that churches work best when they are centralized or decentralized? By “work best,” I mean capable of carrying out their mission.
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons
Decentralized.
Take the early church and modern-day China and India, for example.
TSATS is certainly making the rounds and could well be the most important non-ecclesiological ecclesiology book of 2007. Thanks for blogging about it, Wade.
Centralized definitely. Our head, Jesus. Not elders. Not preachers. Not deacons. Not powerful personalities. Not the “organizational structure” of the church like I learned in school. Our leadership, motivation, information and training rests squarely on the shoulders of our Lord. So I’m all for centralization, if the center is Christ. At the same time, relationships can still thrive and give life. The two are not mutually exclusive. That’s the beauty of Christ’s body.
Wade, I for sure will get this one to read. Thanks for the heads up, brother!
DU
decentralized with common purpose.
I’m guessing your experience has makes you hesitant of decentralization at times, but it can be sooo beautiful!
starfish churches, that’s what I like.
Brad, one could argue that the trinity is representative of decentrlized power…. right?
I’d have to say centralized. Keeping with the analogy, look at the capabilities of a spider as compared to a starfish.
Also, we have plenty of Biblical examples of centralized leadership: Moses, Joshua, the prophets, judges, kings, high priests, and apostles (post-resurrection, of course). I think the key is that congregations continue to support leaders who break off and grow new starfish.
That last sentence didn’t come out the way I wanted it…I think centralized systems are best, as long as congregations produce new leaders.
I never heard of this book, but I will certainly read it now. Sounds like great stuff. Thanks.
http://www.matthewsblog.waynesborochurchofchrist.org
I think we have given in to the fallacy of the excluded middle.
I’m not a fan of centralization in most things. Some things yes. others no.
are we seriously asking if christianity and the church should be centralized? a command and control kinds of organization.
Charles, Moses is probably not a great example of a centralized leadership is he? In fact everyone you wrote are probably more decentralized then centralized right?
riddle –
With the exception of the Apostles, they were each in place one at a time. I shouldn’t have included the prophets and high priests on the list, because they don’t fit what I was trying to say.
As for the rest, how would you explain them as decentralized?