Consulting and Change in the Storytelling OrganisationBoje, David M.
1991 Journal of Organizational Change Management
doi: 10.1108/EUM0000000001193
A participantobservation study of consulting in a large officesupply firm of how consultants and organisational stakeholders performstories to make sense of events and to enact change during theirconversations is presented. A theory of organisation as a collectivestorytelling system in which precedent and futuredirected stories areshared, revised and interpreted to account for and to affect unfoldingorganisational changes is extended. It is illustrated how very tersestories, told in everyday conversations, require the listener silentlyto fill in major portions of the story line and story implications.Storytelling and story interpretation is a critical part of theconsulting work done in complex organisations.
On Getting the Story Crooked and StraightWilkins, Alan L.; Thompson, Michael P.
1991 Journal of Organizational Change Management
doi: 10.1108/EUM0000000001194
Without the stories, or narratives that organisations construct,there could be no social negotiation or sense making. A problem is thatthe narratives are often too straight, too simplistic andselfserving to be helpful representations of reality. Most stories inorganisations that are used to manage change efforts are too simple, andtoo much believed. They foster naive optimism that soon degenerates intocynicism. Stories are maps, but are often confused with the territoriesthemselves. Some examples of stories or accounts of organisationalchange efforts that are straight, and how they might have been made morecrooked, are discussed. Some suggestions on how leaders inorganisations can become more thoughtful consumers of straight storiesand make those stories more helpful maps to guide organisations throughthe turbulence of change are offered.
What if Stories Dont Tally with the CultureOwen Jones, Michael
1991 Journal of Organizational Change Management
doi: 10.1108/EUM0000000001195
Stories and customs at work may mirror the culture, be survivalsfrom the past, or constitute a screen onto which fantasies are projectedserving as safety valves, sanctioned expressions of outlawemotions, or scapegoats. While some stories seem to challenge theculture they in fact preserve it others that appear to support normsand values actually indict them. Organisational change managers musttake a more sophisticated approach, recognising organisations assymbolic worlds and understanding the variety of expressive forms andprocesses. They need to be aware of inconsistencies and contradictions.They should leave some coping mechanisms in place while removing thecause of sore spots in other instances. Finally, those implementingchange may be able to use some customs and stories themselves to aid theprocess.
Organizing NarrativesCodes PoeticsHawes, Leonard C.
1991 Journal of Organizational Change Management
doi: 10.1108/EUM0000000001197
Given the dynamic structure of corporate conflict betweenengineering and sales, how can those two dissimilar realities be managedsuch that change is possible The network of assumptions that iseach of these realities is not immediately accessible to theother such assumptive networks are coded through itsmembers and located in silence. The trick in managing any organisationalchange effort is to interrogate those realities in ways that require itsmembers to respond selfreflectively with narratives rather thanunreflectively with codes. Managing an organisational change effortrequires that codes be transformed into narratives in ways that blur theboundaries and then redraw them along different lines.
Organisational Narratives and Organisational StructureDavis Browning, Larry
1991 Journal of Organizational Change Management
doi: 10.1108/EUM0000000001199
Organisational narratives as contributing to organisationalstructure are discussed. The trend lines of narratives introduce theascent, decline and plateau narratives as reflections of organisationaldirection. The plateau narrative is used to emphasise the value insupporting the values of flat structures. Plateau narratives are moredifficult to grasp because there are more players and more actions thatpotentially merit recognition by the organisations culture. Foursuggested dimensions of plateau narratives are offered for change agentsto identify. They are stories of rotating leadership, stories ofindividuals doing any action that helps the group towards the goal,stories celebrating conscious levelling, and stories of power shiftsfrom turf to large goals.