The document discusses the importance of storytelling in change management, emphasizing that storytelling serves as a fundamental way to communicate experiences and lessons in organizations. It highlights the role of informal and formal hierarchies in spreading stories and suggests using a storytelling canvas to align perspectives across different levels of the organization. Additionally, it offers tips for guiding change organically, such as running workshops and making the change visible, while encouraging personalized connections over resistance.

1. USING STORYTELLING IN
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
Jason Little

2. No matter where the technology
goes in the future, the basics don't
change. Storytelling is a primitive
tribal function. The elders sat around
the fires and told these stories as a
way to pass on the 'dos' and the
'don'ts.' That will never change.
- Michael Schultz
“
“

3. A TALE OF TWO HIERARCHIES…

4. THE INFORMAL HIERARCHY
Carpool
Corporate
Hockey League
Cafeteria
Eaters

5. THE INFORMAL HIERARCHY
Carpool
“Hey, the guy on my
hockey team heard
that…”
Cafeteria
Eaters
“Some guy that carpools
with a buddy of mine
said…”
stories spread informally through networks

6. THE “OFFICIAL” HIERARCHY
Official management meetings
Official Department meetings
Water cooler talk
the official hierarchy synthesizes the information

7. Everything we hear is an opinion,
not a fact. Everything we see is a
perspective, not the truth
- Marcus Aurelius
“
“

8. in the past… and we liked it because… but then one day…
and that caused… so we want to…
Create alignment
for change through
stories

9. IN THE PAST…
AND WE LIKED IT BECAUSE…
BUT THEN ONE DAY…
AND BECAUSE OF THAT…
SO WE WANT TO…
WE’LL SUPPORT THIS BY… WE NEED HELP WITH… SO FAR WE…
REMEMBER WHEN IT WAS EASY TO GET STUFF DONE?
WHAT WAS THE ‘WAY THINGS WORKED AROUND HERE’
LIKE?
DESCRIBE THE EFFECT THAT WAY OF WORKING HAD ON
CULTURE, MORALE, AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
MAYBE IT WASN’T ONE DAY…MAYBE OVER TIME EVENTS
HAPPENED THAT CHANGED THE “WAY THINGS WORK”
AROUND HERE.
WHAT IMPACT DID THAT HAVE? LOSS OF CUSTOMERS?
LOWER MORALE? ‘BAD’ CULTURE?
MAKE THIS CHANGE…
COMMITTING TO THESE THINGS THESE UNCERTAIN THINGS ARE GETTING QUICK WINS…
CREATE A STORYTELLING CANVAS

10. WE ALL HAVE A STORY TO TELL…
Organizational Perspective
Management Perspective
Staff Perspective
Cause and purpose are more compelling
than ‘urgency for change’

11. SHARE PERSPECTIVE BETWEEN PEOPLE ACROSS ALL LAYERS
how are our
stories similar?
how do our
stories differ?
what’s
important to
you? why?
what’s
important to us
as an
organization?
why?

12. 5 tips for organically guiding change
WE’VE WRITTEN OUR STORIES…NOW WHAT?
what I can do to support this?
what help do I need?

13. 5 tips for organically guiding change
MAKE YOUR CHANGE VISIBLE

14. MORE TIPS
1
2
3
Run a storytelling workshop at all levels
Use small groups in each workshop, one group per section
If possible, host an all company open space
Use Lean Coffee to share stories and bridge gaps
Make the change visible
Retrospect monthly across the entire organization
Use Google OKRs to measure the change
Do not push metrics on anyone from anywhere
Do not centralize the change team
Stop focusing on resistance

15. People are much deeper than
stereotypes. That's the first place
our minds go. Then you get to know
them and you hear their stories, and
you say, 'I'd have never guessed.'
- Carson Kressley
“
“

16. Read stories from
people who are using
innovative approaches
to change:
http://leanchange.org/
stories
http://leanchange.org
http://twitter.com/jasonlittle