Our structure

Starfish organisation

We see the Constellation is a starfish organisation.

"Starfish have a miraculous quality to them. Cut off the leg of a spider, and you have a seven-legged creature on your hands; cut off its head and you have a dead spider. But cut off the arm of a starfish and it will grow a new one. Not only that, but the severed arm can grow an entirely new body. Starfish can achieve this feat because, unlike spiders, they are decentralized; every major organ is replicated across each arm."

'The Starfish and the Spider', Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom (2008)

Same functions and values

In a Starfish organization, structure follows function and not the other way around. There is no clear leader giving commands, no hierarchy, no headquarters. Everyone is entitled to make his or her own decisions. The Constellation is governed by its members. More about the Board and voting members.

The Constellation grows like a starfish. Teams around the world emerge and evolve independantly but they fulfill the same functions and share the same values. For instance, the teams in DR-Congo, Belgium or India are organized around the same functions as the Constellation Support Team, working at global level.

Share, Learn and Transfer functions

Because we try to let structure follow function, naturally these ‘best structures’ emerge over time.

Each team in the Constellation has 3 main functions:
(i) Transfer:
The Transfer teams purpose is to facilitate the transfer of the Community Life Competence Process (CLCP) to other organizations and communities, including new geographical areas and other topics.

(ii) Learn:
The task of the Learn Team is to develop the expertise of the Constellation based on our experiences. We seek to learn from what we do.

(iii) Share:
The task of the Share team is to share the inspiration and lessons learned in the Constellation with the world.

Membership care is integrated in each of these functions. The Constellation Support Team (CST) is the team that supports the three functions on a global level, and the Board and Membership assembly stimulates interaction between all member organisations. This is not a structure cast in stone, but it develops over time. 

This structure also greatly enhances opportunities to share and learn from each other. For example, the Transfer team in Indonesia can easily share its experience with the Transfer team in DR-Congo. 

Flexible and fast growing

Because a Starfish mutates so quickly, it can grow incredibly quickly. It’s flexible, equal and constantly mutating. Indeed, we see that AIDS and Malaria Competence spread very quickly around the world. Facilitators adapt the approach to the local context.

Read the Frequently Asked Questions on the Starfish