Perspective on Organizational Storytelling I

Organizational Storytelling according to Wikipedia

"The study of organizational storytelling, sometimes called “Narrative Knowledge,” attempts to recount events in the form of a story within the context of an organization.[1] It is an emerging discipline in the fields of management, strategy and organization studies.

Storytelling has long been a feature of human societies, groups and organizations. Stories are pithy narratives with plots, characters and twists that can be full of meaning. While some stories may be pure fiction, others are inspired by real events. Their relation to such events, however, is tenuous – in stories, accuracy is almost always sacrificed for effect. Stories entertain, inform, advise, warn and educate. They often pass moral judgements on events, casting their characters in roles like hero, villain, fool and victim. They are capable of stimulating strong emotions of sympathy, anger, fear, anxiety and so forth.

Whether in or out of organizations, people often recount experiences in story-like forms and listen to stories of others. By placing themselves at the centre of our stories, they seek to make sense of these experiences, whether happy, trying or painful. Organizational theorists have now become aware that much learning in organizations takes place through storytelling; this is sometimes referred to as narrative knowledge. They have also realized that there is much we can learn by studying the stories that people tell about each other and about the organization as a whole. Stories can open windows into the cultural, political and emotional lives of organizations, allowing people to express deep and sometimes hidden or conflicting emotions.

In recent years, numerous consultants have turned to stories as vehicles for enhancing organizational communication, performance and learning, as well as the management of change. While the success of these approaches is qualified, there can be little doubt that, in the hands of imaginative leaders, educators, gurus and prophets, stories are powerful devices for managing meaning"

My view is that every human being has a story for each occassion: at the breakfast table, in the car on the way to work, at lunch, dinner, vacation – we even have stories (i.e. dreams), while we sleep.

We define ourselves, our meaning in life, through stories. We create a sense of relation between past, present and dreams of the future. We create protagonists, antagonists and relate to other people through stories. There, we move the focus from our sometimes problematic existence to a more wished for and rich story of our abilities and dreams.

For me an Enterprise is nothing more than an individual consisting of individuals. With a past, present and wishes for the future – vision, strategies, plans and acitivities to strive for the wanted position.

If each individual in an Enterprise share the dreams and feel a sense of meaning in the strive forward, an internal force is released that create an understanding, even an eager, to change.