Storytelling in Organizations

"Storytelling In Organizations is brain food for managers who want to ascend to leadership positions. Melding four different perspectives, the authors make a compelling case to become a more relevant, powerful, and memorable communicator. By the time you finish the book you will be thinking differently and running to a mirror to practice, practice, practice." -- Jim Hatherley, author of 'Daring To Be Different, A Manager's Ascent To Leadership' "Story telling is increasingly recognized as central to organizational life. This book draws on the expertise of four thought leaders in this area to help us all understand the role of narative and ways that we can best leverage stories in our own organizations. It is a must read for those looking for more effective approaches to knowledge sharing and transfer, large-scale change, employee socialization and leadership." -- Rob Cross, Assistant Professor of Management at the University of Virginia and Author of The Hidden Power of Social Networks: Understanding How Work Really Gets Done in Organizations "The authors weave a fascinating tale, one that took place at the Smithsonian and resulted in the unexpected- the lawyer, the film director, the scientist, and the historian all agreeing on the power of narrative and storytelling to compel people, as well as the organizations they manage, to change. I would highly recommend this to anyone dealing with the issue of organizational change." -- Bruno Laporte, Manager, Knowledge and Learning, The Worldbank "At the heart of Product Development are our consumers' stories of unmet needs and desires. In R&D, we utilize these stories to inspire breakthrough technical innovations and delightful new products that resonate with our consumers in their journeys toward "happily ever after." This book provides wonderful tools to spark and leverage storytelling functionally and organizational to create collaborative work environments and authentic visions of what's possible." -- Dr Jamesina A. Fitzgerald, VP Global Oral Care Manager & Scientist, Procter & Gamble "Storytelling is the single most effective way to communicate a change in an organization. Through stories, people visualize events, understand concepts and engage both their hearts and minds. Vision and mission statements people read, walk out of a room, and two days later cannot remember. But tell them a story and they will not only remember, they will repeat it." -- Stacy McCarthy, Director, Marketing and Strategy and Customer Communications, The Boeing Company "In a world where all aspects of life are more integrated than ever a leaders' ability to connect with people is more critical than ever. We can no longer solely rely on connectedness through geography, culture or country, The sort of "automatic" connecting we were spoiled with. There are simply too many choices, too much change and too many ways of going your own way to blindly just do what you are told. Rather leadership today must connect with the deeper meaning that exists in every human soul. Storytelling in general and the authors in this book in particular, offers inspiring insights into the art and rewards of telling a story." -- Mats Lederhausen, Managing Director, McDonald's Ventures, McDonald's Corporation President Business Development "...lays out for the first time why narrative and storytelling should be part of the mainstream of organizational and management thinking." - Journal for Quality & Participation