Unabridged Audiobook
long but good.
Absolutely brilliant inspiring and really interesting it’s given me a very different perspective and lots of new ideas
If I had to explain the book concisely, I'd say apply the following quote in business, and you've got yourself the summary of the book - "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." Essentially, the book talks about the power of decentralization in large businesses, and how it can prove to work wonders for its growth. The author takes up case studies of various industries that were once top in their field, and ones which rose up from nothing. How some succeded with the help of decentralization, and how the others died, not being able to take up the challenge. But then again, sticking to one model isn't the best strategy, so the way of taking up a hybrid structure is explained. The key learning from the book is that the markets are everchanging, and even if one thing works for someone, the other might work better, and the businesses have to be open to even infrastructural changes in order to thrive in the industry. I picked this book up on a whim, and I can't be happier with the decision. "Highly insightful" would probably be the best way to describe it. Even though the text is dated now (since it was published in 2006), the principles still apply, and if you do a bit of your own research within the current industry scenario, you can find many more interesting things than the book enlists.
A good approach to get you to understand how flat organization works and their potential. This book came ot me on the right time while I'm designing a new business model for a leader less organization. Worth reading!