STORYTELLING FOR

CORPORATE CHANGE
How do you bridge the gap between the strategic vision of senior managers and the delivery of strategic goals by the workforce? Melanie Franklin argues the case for corporate storytelling.

rganisations are urgently building the capability to conceive and implement transformational change. However, change can only be effected by individuals making a conscious decision to work differently, to build new relationships and to learn new skills. There is often a gap between the definition of strategy by senior managers and the delivery of strategic goals by the workforce. To ensure that the strategy becomes a reality, and not merely a desire, organisations must create participation and involvement across all levels of staff. During

the 2011/2012 timeframe, this has translated into a demand for processes and frameworks that provide a structured approach to implementing change. Critical to the success of this approach is the need to influence, motivate and persuade individuals to move towards the desired future state. Key to implementing change now, is the ability to paint a compelling picture of this future. One that offers opportunities for improvements, fixes current problems, and creates a path for career advancement. Corporate stories are effective in creating emotional connections with stakeholders.

The reason for this is that storytelling has the power to motivate and inspire loyalty, especially during a period of change, when such values cannot be achieved through strictly rational, analytical and measurement-oriented approaches. WHAT IS CORPORATE STORYTELLING? A story in this context is a narrative that instructs an audience and creates a memorable message. It may have a beginning, it has a middle, but often it does not have a clear cut ending because the audience is expected to interpret the ending for itself.

December 2011 Inside Learning Technologies & Skills 55