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How leaders can use powerful narratives as change catalysts

How leaders can use powerful narratives as change catalysts Purpose – Modern leaders need to encourage their organizations to thrive on innovation and embrace opportunities to do things differently. Based on the author's experience training executives, the paper aims to conclude that successful leaders inspire enthusiasm for change through communication that is fundamentally differently from the traditional, abstract approach. Design/methodology/approach – Effective leaders communicate by first getting attention, then stimulating desire and only then reinforcing with reasons. The paper explains the surprising method that works best in practice. Findings – The paper finds a surprisingly effective change management skill: learn to tell simple, attention getting stories that enable audiences to recognize and choose future possibilities that they have hitherto missed. Practical implications – An ability to spark enthusiasm for change through the use of simple but powerful narratives becomes an essential competence for all leaders in the organization. Originality/value – The paper reveals that the kinds of stories that are effective for leaders in stimulating desire for change are very different from what most people expect. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Strategy & Leadership Emerald Publishing

How leaders can use powerful narratives as change catalysts

Stephen Denning
Strategy & Leadership , Volume 36 (2): 5 – Mar 7, 2008
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References (1)

Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © 2008 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
ISSN
1087-8572
DOI
10.1108/10878570810857528
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Purpose – Modern leaders need to encourage their organizations to thrive on innovation and embrace opportunities to do things differently. Based on the author's experience training executives, the paper aims to conclude that successful leaders inspire enthusiasm for change through communication that is fundamentally differently from the traditional, abstract approach. Design/methodology/approach – Effective leaders communicate by first getting attention, then stimulating desire and only then reinforcing with reasons. The paper explains the surprising method that works best in practice. Findings – The paper finds a surprisingly effective change management skill: learn to tell simple, attention getting stories that enable audiences to recognize and choose future possibilities that they have hitherto missed. Practical implications – An ability to spark enthusiasm for change through the use of simple but powerful narratives becomes an essential competence for all leaders in the organization. Originality/value – The paper reveals that the kinds of stories that are effective for leaders in stimulating desire for change are very different from what most people expect.

Journal

Strategy & Leadership – Emerald Publishing

Published: Mar 7, 2008

Keywords: Leadership; Corporate communications; Fiction; Change management; Innovation; Training

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