Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Can stories change a culture?

Can stories change a culture? Purpose – The paper seeks to identify why we need to get past the bits and bullets – e‐mails, text messaging and PowerPoint presentations – and tell the full story. Story is the most powerful way to change a culture. By identifying with beliefs and behaviors, stories are shown as the lynchpin for social, economic, organizational, and individual change. Design/methodology/approach – This paper shows how cultural change is driven by stories and provides a process through which leaders can work to drive change within their own organizations using the Story Tools: WinBook, StoryMatrix and Story Coach, eScenes and Scenarios. Together the tools provide the framework for leaders to be more effective and consistent leaders. Findings – Stories are the most successful way to change a culture. By “adding back” context, stories carry success and failure messages, they allow us to reflect and learn by drawing us in, and finally stories influence us to create the right kinds of behavior. Practical implications – This paper offers practical tools for leaders to capture and tell stories that enhance their leadership skills, as well as offering insights into changing a company's culture. Originality/value – The originality of this approach to story lies in the story tools – StoryMatrix, Story Coach, WinBook, eScenes and Scenarios developed by the author and his company WisdomTools. The authors's book, What's Your Story? Using Stories to Ignite Performance and Be More Successful, provides the reader with more in‐depth background on the original Story Tools. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Industrial and Commercial Training Emerald Publishing

Can stories change a culture?

Craig Wortmann
Industrial and Commercial Training , Volume 40 (3): 8 – Apr 18, 2008
Download PDF
8 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/emerald-publishing/can-stories-change-a-culture-9Ih8glGJOp
Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © 2008 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
ISSN
0019-7858
DOI
10.1108/00197850810868621
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Purpose – The paper seeks to identify why we need to get past the bits and bullets – e‐mails, text messaging and PowerPoint presentations – and tell the full story. Story is the most powerful way to change a culture. By identifying with beliefs and behaviors, stories are shown as the lynchpin for social, economic, organizational, and individual change. Design/methodology/approach – This paper shows how cultural change is driven by stories and provides a process through which leaders can work to drive change within their own organizations using the Story Tools: WinBook, StoryMatrix and Story Coach, eScenes and Scenarios. Together the tools provide the framework for leaders to be more effective and consistent leaders. Findings – Stories are the most successful way to change a culture. By “adding back” context, stories carry success and failure messages, they allow us to reflect and learn by drawing us in, and finally stories influence us to create the right kinds of behavior. Practical implications – This paper offers practical tools for leaders to capture and tell stories that enhance their leadership skills, as well as offering insights into changing a company's culture. Originality/value – The originality of this approach to story lies in the story tools – StoryMatrix, Story Coach, WinBook, eScenes and Scenarios developed by the author and his company WisdomTools. The authors's book, What's Your Story? Using Stories to Ignite Performance and Be More Successful, provides the reader with more in‐depth background on the original Story Tools.

Journal

Industrial and Commercial Training – Emerald Publishing

Published: Apr 18, 2008

Keywords: Storytelling; Organizational culture; Organizational change; Transformational leadership; Coaching

References

  • The Story Factor
    Simmons, A.