This document discusses how storytelling shapes organizational culture. Stories are passed down from old employees to new employees and often feature the organization's founders or other leaders. These stories carry the organization's legacy and help orient new employees to the culture. The stories that are told provide meaning and identity to the organization. They convey what the organization believes in and what reputation it has with customers. Storytelling is an important way that values, ethics, and beliefs are communicated within an organization.

1. Presented By:
Shashank Tiwari
Shashank@Tiwari.info
OGRANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR

3. A symbol is anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by
people who share a culture (a flag, a word, a flashing red light, a
raised fist, an animal etc).
* non-verbal gestures can be very “symbolic” and diverse.
-Diverse meanings can be given to different variations of the
same object, for example, the winking of an eye.
SYMBOLS

4. STORY-TELLING IN AN
ORGANIZATION

5. WHAT IS STORY-TELLING ?
• Way of passing down lessons, history & morals
• Influences people to act, think, and behave a certain way
• Relating past & present events
• Based on true events but can be exaggerated
Larry Prusak
Executive Director, Institute for Knowledge Management

6. STORY-TELLING IN AN
ORGANIZATION
• Passed on by old employees to new employees
• Stories of the organization’s founders or other dominant leaders are the most common ones
• Organization’s heroes, employees relate the current system due to events that had happened in
the past and stories are the medium that carries the legacies
• Rich carriers of organizational culture that give meaning and identity to organizations and help
orient new employees

7. STORY-TELLING SHAPES THE
ORGANIZATION CULTURE

8. • What stories do people currently tell about your organization?
• What reputation is communicated amongst your customers and other stakeholders?
• What do stories say about what your organization believes in?
• What do employees talk about when they think of the history of the company?
• What stories do they tell new people who join the company?
• What heroes, villains and mavericks appear in the stories?

9. Stories
Values
EthicsBeliefs

10. 1. Nourishment of Human Spirit
2. Change of Human Nature
3. Scope for Improvement
4. Strengthen Relationships
5. Self Management
6. Business Growth
7. Gives Direction
8. Provides Feedback
9. Building Culture
10.Socialization
11.Decision Making
OBJECTIVES OF VALUES

11. 1. Effects Individuals Thoughts and Action
2. Influence Employees Motivation
3. Relates to Belief System
4. Form Basis for Identity
5. Works as Binding force
6. Influence Attitude and Behavior
7. Creates Credibility
8. Provides Guidelines for Decision Making and Conflict
Resolution
IMPORTANCE OF VALUES

12. VALUES

13. NIKE

14. NIKE

16. SOUTHWEST AIRLINES

17. AIRLINES

18. The building design and bright colours convey the values of creativity,
imagination to Walt Disney Company and people working in it.
WALT DISNEY COMPANY

19. • Reception area in
office filled with
awards and
trophies indirectly
reveals the passion
for achievement in
the organization
• A reception area
which is warmly lit
with plants gives a
homely feeling and
indicates people
oriented company
USING FURNITURE AND DECORATION AS
SYMBOLS TO COMMUNICATE VALUES

20. • Closed offices that
provides employees
independent area of
work boosts creativity
and experimentation
• Open office spaces
where employees can all
see each other and hear
each other, indirectly
gives the value of
collaboration
• Organizational symbols
have the power to
facilitate or hinder
smooth organizational
functioning
CLOSED V/S OPEN OFFICE SPACE

21. HOW STORIES COMMUNICATE
VALUES
• Story of Azim Premji, Wipro Limited
• Values like Fair, Professional & Involvement was communicated
• Blink of Eye Decision Making
• Customer Relationship
• Dignity of all roles

22. ETHICS
• Ethics is studying and talking about what is right and wrong, good and bad. It is also studying
what makes something good or bad. This helps decide whether other things are good or bad.
- Wikipedia

23. WHY IS ETHICS IMPORTANT IN
ORGANIZATION?
• Ethics are the principles and values an individual uses to govern his activities
and decisions.
• In an organization, a code of ethics is a set of principles that guide the
organization in its programs, policies and decisions for the business.
• The ethical philosophy an organization uses to conduct business can affect the
reputation, productivity and bottom line of the business.

24. The arrow was introduced to
underscore speed and precision,
which are part of the positioning of
the company.
There’s a hidden peacock
looking to the right representing
the company’s motto to look
forward, and not back.

25. The bottom right corner of the logo is
broken up in such a way so that the serif
on the bottom of the “M” displays an
equal sign, representing the value of
equality.
The collar of Wendy’s shirt seems to have
a secret message spelling out the word
“mom,” which one would think ties into
the brand’s identity of selling old-
fashioned hamburgers just like mom
used to make.

26. It symbolizes Equality & Justice in India

27. EXAMPLE OF SYMBOLISM
• The layout of corporate headquarter, types of automobiles top executives are given, and the
presence or absence of corporate aircraft are a few examples of material symbols. These
materialistic symbols shows the ethical values of organization how they care about there
employees and consumers or stakeholders.

28. LIMITATIONS OF SYMBOL USED TO SHOW
ETHICS
• Unethical manipulation
• Empty or meaningless actions
• Omnipresence
• Divisions

32. • Every company has stories that Leadership like to share to demonstrate the way they
want to operate
• One of the best ways to learn is by modelling another person Rewarded behaviour
give your employees plenty of models by celebrating true stories
• Company culture comes from the stories we tell each other whether that stories
ethical narrative is another matter

33. BELIEFS
Ways beliefs get created:
• Experience
• Intuition
• Tenacity
• Authority
• Scientific method

35. WHAT IS BELIEF?
Trust, Faith or confidence in
someone or something

36. HOW BELIEF WORKS ?
• Belief has three importance parts to it
1) Believer (The person who is believing)
2) Belief
3) Believing on(The thing or person)

37. IN CASE OF ALIBABA
Believer Jack Ma
Belief Position Alibaba as a global website not just
a domestic website
Believing on Himself

38. Belief Action Results
• Belief (Alibaba as a global website)
• Action 1) Need to learn the hard working spirit of silicon valley
2)Breaking the 8a.m to 5p.m work spirit
• Result ( on 9 September 2014, Alibaba’s market value was
measured as 231 US billion $

39. Organizational culture is the careful reading and analysis of organizational
symbols
Symbols serve four functions in organizations
1. They reflect underlying aspects of culture
2. Generating emotional responses from organizational members
3. Representing organizational values
4. They integrate the entire organization in one system of signification
CONCLUSION

40. • Stories helps the company to grow from strength to strength
• It encourages employees to ran the extra mile to meet customer
expectations.
• It helps employees seeking to find meaning & purpose in what
they do