circles catalyst idea network champion

 
Ori Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom, The starfish and the spider, 2006    [ ]
written by Ori Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom

p.37
The one thing that does remain constant is the recovery principle--the famous twelve steps. Because there is no one in charge, everyone is responsible for keeping themselves--and everyone else--track. Even seniority doesn't matter that much: you're always an alcoholic. You have a sponsor, like a Nant'an, but the sponsor doesn't lead by coercion; that person leads by example. And if you mess up and relapse or stop attending for a while, you're always welcome to come back. There's no application form, and nobody owns AA. 

p.37
And if you mess up and relapse or stop attending for a while, you're always welcome to come back. 

p.37
Members have always been able to directly help each other without asking permission or getting approval from Bill W. or anyone else. This quality enables open system to quickly adapt and respond. 

pp.39-40
  This brings us to the third principle of decentralization: an open system doesn't have central intelligence; the intelligence is spread throughout the system. Information and knowledge naturally filter in at the edge, closer to where the action is. 

p.40
When other addicts took note of AA's success, they borrowed the 12-step model and launched organizations combating a variety of addictions, including narcotics, food, and gambling. AA's response? Good for you. Go right ahead. It's all part of the design. The 4th principle of decentralization is that open systems can easily mutate. 

p.42r
We'll see this pattern repeat itself across different sectors and in different industries. We call this radical swing “the accordion principle”.  Over time, industries swing from being decentralized to centralized to decentralized and back again. In response to overcentralized industries or institutions, people rebel and create open starfish systems. 

p.42
At the extreme of decentralization, we encounter a gray zone where a very loose collection of people have a surprising amount of power. 

p.45 
6th principle of decentralization: as industries become decentralized, overall profits decrease. Introduce starfish into the equation and wave good-bye to high profits. ([ profits is decentralized; being a decentralized starfish there is less ability to form a consortium to pool purchasing power to negotiate a better term ])

p.47
AA is found wherever a group of members chooses to meet. 

p.65
   Craig responded: “The way craigslist runs is that people who use it post, and if they find something inappropriate they flag it for approval. So in a very day-to-day kind of way, the people who use the site run it. Also, in terms of policy, the categories we have almost 100 percent were generated by the people in the community. We tried to figure out what people were asking for, what was the consensus--what really worked--and we moved on that. I think that the initial idea over 10-plus years was mine. The rest of it was just listening to people and providing the infrastructure to that. Another thing is a culture of trust that works out really well.”

p.67
  We learned an important lesson--from the user perspective, people don't notice or care whether they're interacting with a spider or with a starfish. As long as they're given freedom, as long as they can do what they want to do, they're happy. 

p.71
It was just like the Nant'an: you follow someone--in this case, use their patch--because you respect their skills and you like the results you get, not because the boss told you to. 

p.71
If your patches improved the original software in any way, and if enough people liked them, they would eventually be integrated into the main program. 

p.85
Adam Hochschild, Bury the Chains

p.87
Quaker meetings began in silence, and whichever congregant was moved to do so spoke for as long as he or she wanted. They believed that all people have an “inner light” and should be treated as equals, and they were therefore staunch opponents of slavery. 

pp.88-101 
LEG 1: Circles 
   The only way for outsiders to join a circle, in fact, was to be taken in battle. But once brought into a circle, members were accepted as Apache--whether by birth, adoption, or capture. That's the thing about circles: once you join, you're an equal. It's then up to you to contribute to the best of your ability. 
   As the norms of a circle develop, and as members spend more time together, something fascinating happens: they begin to trust one another. 

LEG 2: The Catalyst 
   The thing is, ammonia doesn't have any iron in it--it's made solely of hydrogen and nitrogen. The iron in this equation remains unchanged: it just facilitates the bonding of hydrogen and nitrogen in a certain way.
   Iron is a catalyst. In chemistry, a catalyst is any element or compound that initiates a reaction without fusing into that reaction. 
   The catalyst is an inspirational figure who spurs others to action. Circles don't form on their own. 
   A catalyst develops an idea, shares it with others, and leads by example. 
   A catalyst is like the architect of a house: he's essential to the long-term structural integrity, but he doesn't move in. 
   He wasn't interested in creating an empire under his control; he was focused on sparking a movement to end slavery. 

LEG 3: Ideology 
   Ideology is the glue that holds decentralized organization together. 
   The Apaches held a common belief that they belonged on the land and deserved to be self-governing. Those few Apaches who didn't hold this ideology accepted the Spanish invitation to become farmers and integrate into a centralized system. But those who stayed with the tribe held firmly to the notion of independence. Anyone who interfered with that ideology--whether a Spaniard, a Mexican, or an American--became the enemy. The Apaches held to their ideology so strongly that they were willing to fight and sacrifice themselves for their cause. 

LEG 4: The Preexisting Network 
   The Quakers
   the Quakers gave the movement a platform 
   Third, and most important, centralized organizations aren't set up to launch decentralized movements. 
   ... slowly gained their trust and friendship. 

LEG 5: The Champion
   A champion is relentless in promoting a new idea. 
   Leor Jacobi
   Just ask the folks at the Berkeley post office in California--they're still talking about Leor Jacobi. 
   Something about the way Leor spoke--his excitement or his charm--made everyone feel comfortable with him and interested in what he had to say. 
   Champions are inherently hyperactive.

p.89
On the other hand, when circles take on more than 14 or so members, the bond breaks down. Members become more anonymous, and that opens the door to free-riding or destructive behavior. No longer does everyone have to pull their weight. 

p.90
Being in the physical presence of other participants adds a dimension of closeness, and a sense of ownership emerges. 

p.90
You own the experience and develop a sense of responsibility and belonging. 


p.97
   Almost every decentralized organization that has made it big was launched from a preexisting platform. Bill W., the founder of AA, drew upon the Oxford Group, an independent Christian movement started by a renegade Lutheran minister. The Oxford Group had established circles and even a 6-step program for recovery. Bill W. changed the six steps into 12, borrowed the methodology, and launched his first AA circle. 

p.102
Elizabeth Cady Stanton 

p.103
Susan B. Anthony, champion 

p.113
Deborah Alvarez-Rodriguez
   Deborah had a crazy idea: take all the advocacy groups that were normally a thorn in the city's side and open her office doors to them, inviting them in. 

p.113
Working side by side, people began to trust each other.  

p.113
She'd refuse to talk to organizations about concrete strategy and nuts and bolts. She'd tell them, “I'm not going to talk about programs or budgets. I'm not going to talk about any of that right now.” Instead, she asked the groups about “what keeps you up at night, what brings joy--tears of joy in your eyes. And I'll share that with you as well. I want to understand you as a person.” A catalyst's most important relationships are based on trust and understanding. Deborah “just knew that values were a stronger binding force than authority”. These conversations were difficult at first. “It was a little bit scary for everybody. It was a little bit scary for me. It required me to have a certain amount of vulnerability as a leader.” 

p.114
Imagine having so much faith and trust in a community that you'd continue talking to them, let alone respecting them, after they'd burned your effigy. 

p.116
Auren Hoffman
“The basic idea behind Stonebrick is to help companies find either customers or partners and help them build long-term relationships.”

p.118
Josh Sage 
   He understood that the way to mobilize people was by sharing inspirational stories. 

p.119 
David Martin

p.128
To a catalyst, emotional connections come first. Once there's an emotional connection, then and only then is it time to brainstorm and talk strategy. 

p.136
But sky never said anything negative or discouraging. His job, as he saw it, was to get a group on its feet. 

p.139
the 8th principle of decentralization: when attacked, centralized organizations tend to become even more centralized. 

p.140
..., al Qaeda's ideology is strengthened by the fear that Westerners are threatening the fabric of Muslim civilization. That ideology is rooted in a perceived clash between Christian and Muslim cultures as old as the Crusades. 

p.141
Nairobi, Kibera slum, Africa
The living conditions in Kibera are so harsh that the average life span is 38 years--and dropping. 

p.141
We went inside several of these homes and for the first time in our lives fully realized what it's like to have absolutely nothing. 

p.145
Ingrid Munro, a Swedish UN housing worker
Mama Ingrid
Jamii Bora Trust

p.149
... their mission isn't to change ideology but to help people.

p.149
We become defensive and closed-off when we perceive that someone is trying to manipulate or control us. 

p.152
the Americans gave the Nant'ans cattle: 

p.152
The cows changed everything.

p.153 
What cows were to the Apache, book sales became to AA.

pp.162-163
Pierre Omidyar
But then along came Pierre Omidyar, a computer programmer whose fiancée couldn't find anyplace to buy her favorite collectible, Pez dispensers. Like Shawn Fanning, the creator of Napster, Omidyar took matters into his own hands, never realizing the massive force he was about to unleash. The service, originally called “AuctionWeb” but soon renamed “eBay”, at first glance appeared similar on Onsale. But eBay had what seemed like a radical idea at the time. It allowed users to sell items directly to each other. It never took control of inventory and never served as an intermediary. After all, there was really no need to have a money-back guarantee for Pez dispensers. 

p.164
Representing the first of two types of hybrid organizations, eBay is a centralized company that decentralized the customer experience. 

pp.164-165
   A hybrid approach led to eBay's success, but it also created tensions. People are willing to trust one another when it comes to user rating, but in other situations they want the safeguards that are possible only with a command-and-control structure. 

p.165
PayPal allows users to transfer funds to one another via a trusted intermediary. 

p.165 
“If you were to tell someone at PayPal that people are basically good, they'd laugh in your face. We've seen too many shenanigans.” 

p.166
... based on their established reputations.
... eBay's network becomes more valuable with each new user rating. 

network effect, 166-167, 202-203 

p.167
The more the network grows, the more useful it becomes, and the more likely it is that customers will stay put. 

p.167
Buyers and sellers therefore stay at eBay--it's where the action is, and it's where they can find a network of trusted buyers and sellers. 
    The decentralized user rating proved to be eBay's biggest competitive advantage.  

pp.174-175
hybrid organization: a centralized company that decentralizes internal parts of the business.

p.177
David Cooperrider
a process call “appreciative inquiry”

p.178
... appreciative inquiry has helped to resolve strife between management and unions in one of the biggest long-haul trucking companies in the world and to create a strategic plan in the U.S. Navy. When you can get truckers to talk about their personal dreams and aspirations and their vision for the company, you know you've hit upon something big. 

p.184
ideology: we are here to excel. 

p.184
management is a function and a responsibility rather than a rank and privilege.

p.210
Ori Brafman
The stark differences between the Apache and Spanish approaches to battle proved a helpful historical model understanding the challenges facing military tacticians today. 
   And that's exactly it. Once you're familiar with starfish concepts, it's hard not to see the patterns play out everywhere you look. 

p.211
Xing.com
it became clear to me that we needed to have a catalysts leading all key aspects of our business 

p.216
    Tom Nevins discusses decentralized features of the Apache in the introduction to Helge Ingstad, The Apache Indians: In Search of the Missing Tribe (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2004). We learned more about how the Apaches survived against the Spanish when we interviewed Nevins ourselves. He described how decentralized elements still define the Apaches. For instance, Nevins shared with us his observation that coming-of-age ceremonies for young women further decentralize Apache ties because new, flat connections between the young woman's family and other clans emerge. He also explained that the Apaches use a gift economy in which all members of a clan, including visitors such as Nevins, are expected to share resources. 
    One fascinating book about the clash of cultures between Southwest American Indians and white settlers is Scott Zesch, The Captured: A True Story of Abduction by Indians on the Texas Frontier (New York: St. Martin's Press, 2004). Zesch's own ancestor was kidnapped as a child by a Native American group. 

p.220
David Cooperrider
 Appreciative Inquiry, 1999
 Appreciative Inquiry Handbook, 2004 
 edited by Daniel L. Cooperrider and Jane E. Dutton, Organizational Dimensions of Global Change, 1999

   (Brafman, Ori, The starfish and the spider : the unstoppable power of leaderless organization / Ori Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom., 1. decentralization in management., 2. organization behavior., 3. success in business., 2006, )
   ____________________________________
‘’•─“”
<------------------------------------------------------------------------>

πόλλ' οἶδ' ἀλώπηξ,ἀλλ' ἐχῖνος ἓν μέγα πόλλ' οἶδ' ἀλώπηξ,ἀλλ' ἐχῖνος ἓν μέγα
   ____________________________________
*2   “This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.”
      ──From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations
     (Ackoff's best : his classic writings on management, Russell L. Ackoff., © 1999, hardcover, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., p.139)

   “This [copy & paste reference note] is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is [archive] with the understanding that the [researcher, investigator] is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.”
      ──From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations
--
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior permission of the publisher.  

The W. Edwards Deming Institute.  All rights reserved.  Except as permitted under the United States copyright act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. 

NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C., section 107, some material is provided without permission from the copyright owner, only for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of federal copyright laws. These materials may not be distributed further, except for "fair use," without permission of the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

notice:  Do not purchase this book with the hopes of curing cancer or any other chronic disease
   We offer it for informative purposes to help cope with health situations and do not claim this book furnishes information as to an effective treatment or cure of the disease discussed ─ according to currently accepted medical opinion.  
   Although it is your right to adopt your own dietary and treating pattern, never the less suggestions offered in this book should not be applied to a specific individual except by his or her doctor who would be familiar with individual requirements and any possible complication.  Never attempt a lengthy fast without competent professional supervision.