Squirrel Inc.: A Fable of Leadership
through Storytelling by Stephen
Denning
Highly Recommended!
Take a satirical scamper through organizational life in the midst of
changing times, brought to you by master storyteller and former World
Bank executive Steve Denning. With wisdom and a healthy dose of wit,
Denning introduces a cast of furry characters who together learn the fine
art of change through storytelling in their quest to overcome obstacles,
generate enthusiasm and teamwork, share knowledge, and ultimately lead
their company into a new era of success and significance. Through the
stories of Squirrel Inc., readers will learn that the ability to tell the right
story at the right time can determine the outcome of any major change
effort. In each chapter Dennings squirrels learn to use storytelling to
address leadership challenges: How to bring about change How to
communicate who you are How to transmit values How to foster
collaboration How to stop rumors How to share knowledge How to lead
your organization into the future

Personal Review: Squirrel Inc.: A Fable of Leadership through
Storytelling by Stephen Denning
Think about it. Who are among the greatest storytellers throughout history?
My own list includes Homer, Plato, Chaucer, Aesop, Jesus, Dante,
Boccaccio, the Brothers Grimm, Confucius, Abraham Lincoln, Hans
Christian Andersen, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll), Joel
Chandler Harris, L. Frank Baum, and most recently, E.B. White. Whatever
the genre (epic, parable, fable, allegory, anecdote, etc.), each used
exposition, description, and narration to illustrate what they considered to
be fundamental truths about the human condition.
In his previous work, The Springboard, Denning focuses on "how
storytelling ignites action in knowledge-led organizations" and does so with
uncommon erudition, precision, and eloquence. His narrative covers a
period of approximately three years during which he used what he calls
"springboard" stories to "spark organizational change" at The World Bank.
More specifically, to forge a consensus within that organization to support
the design and then implementation of effective knowledge management,
first for itself and then for its clients worldwide. How he accomplished that
objective is in and of itself a fascinating "story" but the book's greater value
lies in what he learned in process, lessons which are directly relevant to
virtually all other organizations (regardless of size or nature) which struggle
to "do more with less and do it faster" in the so-called Age of Information.
Maximizing use of their collective intellectual capital is most often the
single most effective way to do that.
In this volume, Denning uses many of the same devices which Orwell does
in Animal Farm: He creates a stressful situation to which anthropomorphic
animals respond; the lead characters discuss what to do; strategies are
selected; conflicts and crises immediately develop; tension is increased by
the perils the lead characters encounter; ultimately, the situation is
resolved. In Animal Farm, the pigs prevail. In Squirrel Inc.,....
Whereas Orwell's purpose is to dramatize the evils of totalitarianism,
Denning's purpose is to give "detailed advice on how to craft and perform a
story that can spark transformational change in an organization" by
examining six different kinds of storytelling "which illustrate the impact of
storytelling on our work and our lives." Although this is a fable of
leadership, it is important to keep in mind that (a) everyone throughout any
organization tells stories of various kinds each day; therefore (b) the value
of the information which Denning provides and the recommendations he
makes is by no means limited to senior-level executives.
Why a fable? When considering how he could best communicate the
various kinds of stories (e.g. "springboard" stories that communicate
complex ideas and spark action), their specific uses in modern
organizations, and their relevant similarities and differences, Denning
"quickly discovered that conveying an understanding of seven types of

stories across four or five different dimensions represented a level of
complexity not well adapted to text-book style presentation."
I include that excerpt because many of those who read this book will also
find themselves in situations in which they are preparing to make an
especially important presentation and use of a traditional format is not
appropriate. Their audience will not respond as well to the "textbook-style"
as they will to a entertaining as well as informative narrative which seeks to
achieve one or more of these objectives:
To spark action
To communicate who the speaker is
To transmit values
To get everyone working together
To share knowledge
To "tame the grapevine"
To lead people into the future
Here's the situation. Diana is a fast-track executive at Squirrel Inc. who is
frustrated by her inability to convince senior-management to transform the
company's core business from helping squirrels to bury nuts to storing nuts
for them. Why should it? Because approximately 50% of the nuts buried
are lost, either because squirrels forget where they buried them or the nuts
are dug up by human gardeners. Great opportunity for Squirrel Inc. She
shares her frustrations with Bartender who is the owner/host of a nectar
tavern located high in an oak tree near the Squirrel Inc. headquarters. (He
is also this book's narrator and thus, in several respects, a surrogate for
Denning.) Throughout the remainder of the book, Denning focuses on
Diana and Bartender's joint efforts to use effective storytelling to mobilize
the support needed to transform Squirrel Inc.
Because Denning is himself a master storyteller, never does his narrative
become precious, cute, quaint, darling, etc. Credit him with wit, style,
grace, and -- yes -- intellectual rigor. His characters may be squirrels but
the relevance of his material to human experience is profound: "The
underlying reason for the affinity between leadership and storytelling is
simple: narrative -- unlike abstraction and analysis -- is inherently
collaborative. Storytelling helps leaders work with other individuals as
coparticipants, not merely as objects or underlings. Storytelling helps
strengthen leaders' connectedness with the world. Isn't this what all
leaders need -- a connectedness with the people they are seeking to
lead?"
I especially appreciate Denning's provision of a chart ("Seven High-Value
Forms of Organizational Storytelling," pages 150-153) which clearly and
cleverly summarizes all of his core concepts and specific suggestions. It
serves as a useful reminder that the most effective story is one which has
a crystal clear objective and includes the appropriate elements (e.g.
problem to be solved, situation to be explained, value of the information

provided). The story must also meet certain requirements of the given
purpose. For example, provision of relevant background information and
an analysis of current situation before proposing a future course of action,
especially one which may seem bold and threatening to others.
For whatever reasons, only in recent years has there been an awareness
and appreciation of the importance of the business narrative. Those who
share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Annette
Simmons' The Story Factor, Doug Lipman's Improving Your Storytelling,
and Storytelling in Organizations co-authored by John Seely Brown,
Denning, Katarina Groh, and Laurence Prusak.
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