The starfish organization in business, politics (Part 1)

“The harder you fight a decentralized opponent, the stronger it gets.” - Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstorm

The starfish is a unique organism. If you cut of an arm it regenerates a new arm and the small arm becomes a new starfish. This ability comes from its decentralized neural structure. In essence, each part is a whole by and in itself. This decentralized structure is the basis of an organizational structure called the starfish organization. Surprisingly, this type of organization is again gaining traction both here and abroad. In fact, many starfish organizations are doing better than the traditional organizations in some fields. Many large transactions and projects of late are actually the products of starfish organizations.

A starfish organization is essentially a decentralized organization. It is made up of autonomous groups that work toward a common set of goals. It is different from a traditional spider organization which is a traditional top down organization with a single command entity that drives the organization. Like a starfish, when one part of the organization is lost, the rest can still function. In spider organizations, if a large chunk of spider or organization is lost, it can cease to function effectively. This type of organization can be applied in both business and politics.

In business, it can start in the form of a small central group with several connections or a large network that allows that group access to several business opportunities. However, since that center group cannot handle all those opportunities, they create several allied independent groups that can focus on these different opportunities. There can be an overarching goal or project that binds these different opportunities or it can simply be way for the center group to maximize all these divergent opportunities.

In politics, starfish campaign organizations work best in an environment where there are several independent political leaders leading several organizations or who are elected officials themselves. In this situation, the only thing that binds these political leaders is the desire to win the election. They are unwilling to adapt to a unified strategy or tactic because the group leaders are often individualists who are wary of being controlled by an overall campaign leader. In local campaigns, the starfish organization can be made up of a core campaign team with a parallel organization, barangay officials, present or former councilor leaders, and several interest groups or organizations within the area. Within the parallel and core group, the leaders are interchangeable and fluid.

The best treatise on starfish organizations can be found in the book, “The Starfish and the Spider: The unstoppable power of leaderless organizations” by Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstorm. There are also many short works covering this type of organization. In all these studies, and in my own experience, there are common traits which you find in most starfish organizations.

Starfish organizations don’t have chief executive officers (CEOs). They have catalysts or champions. In ordinary organizations, the CEO or leader imposes the mission or objective to everyone in the organization in a top down manner. In a starfish organization, everyone buys into the mission or objective the moment they join. The catalyst informs them of shifts or changes and empowers the focal persons to continue believing the mission. The catalyst does not need to give orders but nudges. A catalyst cannot be obsessive compulsive or a control freak. They have to accept ambiguity and allow focal persons a high degree of autonomy as long as the mission is achieved.

In politics, the catalyst campaign strategist does not impose a specific organization mode or protocols on the political organization as a whole. The catalyst normally keeps a parallel central organization then coordinates with the different leaders and weaves them subtly into the campaign. The catalyst ensures that the different leaders and especially the other elected officials understands the main goal and makes them feel important and relevant. The campaign catalyst must be charming, charismatic, and willing to stay behind the scenes and way from the spotlight.

The lack of a clear central command center gives the organization adaptability and resilience. In business, if the leader in a traditional organization leaves or is incapacitated, the chances of failure or collapse is high. In starfish organization, the loss of one large part or the catalyst does not affect the organization. In politics, there is always the danger of leaders being bought or turned. If the political organization is a starfish organization, the loss of one group or leader will not unduly affect the campaign.

Perhaps, it is time for some organizations to adapt this unique organizational structure.

Next week, we will tackle the other advantages of a starfish organization and its challenges.

This is my oblique observation for this week.

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in the foregoing article are solely the author’s and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of the Philippine News Agency (PNA) or any other office under the Presidential Communications Office.