Corporate storytelling can help bridge the gap between senior managers' strategic visions and workforce delivery of strategic goals. Stories have the power to motivate and inspire loyalty during periods of change when rational approaches are less effective. A corporate story is a narrative that instructs an audience and creates a memorable message to paint a compelling picture of the future, address current problems, and enable career advancement as organizations work to implement transformational change across all levels of staff.

1. 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.
O
rganisations are urgently the 2011/2012 timeframe, this has The reason for this is that storytelling has
building the capability to translated into a demand for processes and the power to motivate and inspire loyalty,
conceive and implement frameworks that provide a structured especially during a period of change, when
transformational change. approach to implementing change. Critical such values cannot be achieved through
However, change can only be effected by to the success of this approach is the need strictly rational, analytical and
individuals making a conscious decision to to influence, motivate and persuade measurement-oriented approaches.
work differently, to build new relationships individuals to move towards the desired
and to learn new skills. There is often a gap future state. WHAT IS CORPORATE STORYTELLING?
between the definition of strategy by
Key to implementing change now, is the A story in this context is a narrative that
senior managers and the delivery of
ability to paint a compelling picture of this instructs an audience and creates a
strategic goals by the workforce.
future. One that offers opportunities for memorable message. It may have a
To ensure that the strategy becomes a improvements, fixes current problems, and beginning, it has a middle, but often it does
reality, and not merely a desire, creates a path for career advancement. not have a clear cut ending because the
organisations must create participation and Corporate stories are effective in creating audience is expected to interpret the
involvement across all levels of staff. During emotional connections with stakeholders. ending for itself.
December 2011 Inside Learning Technologies & Skills 55