The Starfish and the Spider

The title metaphor conveys the core concept: though a starfish and a spider have similar shapes, their internal structure is dramatically different—a decapitated spider inevitably dies, while a starfish can regenerate itself from a single amputated leg. In the same way, decentralized organizations, like the Internet, the Apache Indian tribe and Alcoholics Anonymous, are made up of many smaller units capable of operating, growing and multiplying independently of each other, making it very difficult for a rival force to control or defeat them.

It should be noted that this book is a good introduction to the ideas of decentralization, but leaves a lot left uncovered. For example, the chapter on Alcoholics Anonymous is interesting, but leaves out the Twelve Traditions (not to be confused with the Twelve Steps) which are fundamental to AA's functioning as a starfish organization.

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