Di Winkler's Blog

Catalyst or CEO

Following is my summary regarding leadership in a ‘starfish’ organisation from The Starfish and the Spider, (Brafman & Becktstrom 2006). The leaders of ‘starfish’ organisations are described as catalysts rather than CEOs. CEOs create order and structure; catalysts thrive on ambiguity and apparent chaos. A CEOs job is to maximise profit. A catalyst is usually mission-orientated.

The catalyst leader model is ideal for community building or creating a movement. It reflects the staff culture at the Summer Foundation and spurs me on to focus more on building relationships rather than structure and control. We are working through issues like governance, risk management and financial monitoring, which is more challenging in a decentralised organisation than a traditional top-down structure. Most of our work involves partnerships with people with disabilities, families and other organisations – these relationships are based on a shared ideology (i.e. people with a disability have inherent value and belong in the community). Engaging individuals and organisations as genuine partners makes a ‘top-down’ or ‘command and control approach’ impossible and inappropriate. As we listen to others and include their ideas, our projects evolve and mutate into a better version of our initial proposal or solution. 

A catalyst is an inspirational and collaborative figure who spurs others to action, they develop an idea, share it with others and lead by example. They empower people and then get out of the way. A catalysts most important relationships are based on trust and understanding. Values are a stronger building force than authority. Its about relationship – Catalysts ask people “what keeps you up at night, what brings joy, tears of joy in your eyes”. Catalysts constantly map relationships – map out all the people we know who might contribute. Identify people in our networks who could become advocates.

Catalysts don’t try to persuade people but rather rely on a more subtle technique: meeting people where they are. When people feel heard, when they feel understood and supported, they are more likely to change. They don’t prescribe a solution, assume a peer relationship and listen intently. You don’t follow a catalyst because you have to – you follow a catalyst because he understands you. When we give advise to someone, we automatically create a power heirarchy. In meeting people where they are, catalysts can inspire change without being coersive. 

Being a catalyst requires a high tolerance for ambiguity. That’s because a decentralised organisation is so fluid that someone who needs order and structure would quickly go mad. A top-down heirarchy and structure can be repressive to the catalyst. Put them into a structures environment and they might suffocate. But let them dream and they will thrive. If you turn a catalyst into a CEO, the entire network will be in jeopardy. This ambiguity creates a platform for creativity and innovation. Starfish organisations need ambiguity to survive. If someone came in and tried to implement order and structure, they might be able to get better measurement and tracking, but they would kill the starfish in the process. In the command and control environment, you can closely track what everyone is doing, but being watched and monitored makes employees less likely to take risks and innovate.

CEO	Catalyst
The boss	A peer
Command and control	Trust
Rational	Emotionally intelligent
Powerful	Inspirational
Directive	Collabotative
In the spotlight	Behind the scenes
Order	Ambiguity
Organising	Connecting

Brafman, O. & Becktstrom, R, (2006) The starfish and the spider: The unstoppable power of leaderless organisations 

The starfish and the spider

I have just finished reading a book called “The starfish and the spider: The unstoppable power of leaderless organisations” which is about the power of starfish organisations to turn industries and society upside down. In response to overcentralised industries or institutions, people rebel and create open starfish systems. The starfish model presented has a lot of relevance to a community building approach and creating movements to resolve social justice issues (e.g. young people in nursing homes).

Spider organisations

This book uses a spider analogy to describe traditional top-down organisations where the leaders want to control what’s happening, thereby limiting creativity.  In this model board and CEOs use command and control to keep order in the organisation. Each decision has to be analysed and approved by the executives and there are clear structures, rules and heirarchies. Like a spider in a centralised, top-down organisation, if you attack the head (or the leadership) the spider dies.

Starfish organisations

Starfish organisations are decentralised and based on a network with a flattened heirarchy. Starfish have no central nervous system and no brain to control things. You can chop one in half and get two new ones. In fact, each radial segment, if complete, could grow a new starfish if separated from the rest of it.

In startfish organisations there is no clear leader or heirarchy, and no headquarters.  If and when a leader emerges, that person has little power over others. The leader leads by example. 

Starfish organisations are open systems easily mutate, they are able to react, mutate at a quick pace and grow quickly. Decentralised organisation are very amorphus and fluid, Because power and knowledge are distributed, individual units quickly respond to a multitude of internal and external forces.

Conventional thinking is that to run an organisation you’d better be highly organised and structured. Starfish systems are wonderful incubators for creative, innovative or creative ideas. Good ideas will attract more people, and in a circle, they’ll execute the plan.  Institute order and rigid structure, and while you achieve standardisation, you’ll squelch creativity. Where creativity is valuable, learning to accept chaos is a must.

Ideology

Ideology is the glue that holds decentralised organisations together. Because a decentralised organisation can’t draw upon command and control to motivate participants, it needs a strong and ongoing ideology to keep them going.

Circles

Circles are important to nearly every decentralised organisation. Once you join a circle, you are an equal.  It’s then up to you to contribute to the best of your ability.  Whes circles take on more than 14 people, the bond tends to break down.

 

Resolving the issue of young people in nursing homes

The starfish organisations organisation provides a language to describe the work of the Summer Foundation.  This model describes what we are already doing and strengthens our resolve to work with people with disabilities, families, workers and partner organisations to create a movement to resolve the issue of young people in nursing homes. We are busy tapping into and stregthening existing networks and circles and creating new circles and networks of people who have knowledge and a fundamental desire to share and contribute. Working with other stakeholders is critical to our mission so we are active participants in the Victorian Young People in Nursing Homes consortium, the my future my choice advisory committee and the Victorian Coalition of Acquired Brain Injury Service Providers.  Circles we have started include the Summer Foundation Property Advisory Panel, the Network of new accommodation service providers and a series of workshops for people with a disability who want to explore getting involved in systemic advocacy.  We are also exploring ways of developing peer support networks for people with disabilities living in nursing homes and carer support networks for families of young people in nursing homes.

Brafman, O. & Becktstrom, R, (2006) The starfish and the spider: The unstoppable power of leaderless organisations