Strategic narratives create a shared understanding of the past, present, and future by defining a path forward and reasons to believe. They allow companies like Patagonia and Microsoft to separate themselves by wrapping narratives around sustainability and the future of work that employees and customers connect with. Developing strategic narratives involves gathering insights, systems thinking, futurecasting to define a desired future state and telling a story around it.

1. The Value of
Strategic Narratives

2. What?
Strategic Narratives create a shared
understanding of the past, a reason for the
work now and projections for the future.

3. Why?
..because employees need a path to walk
and customers need a reason to believe.

4. Why?
…and in a future where products and
technology will be commodities, stories
(strategic narratives) will be how your
company separates itself from the noise..

5. Value
An example is Patagonia: With a focus on
sustainability the company has built a great
brand by defining the future they desire and
wrapping a strategic narrative behind it. A
narrative that customers gravitate towards and
employees will get behind. It just so happens to
be the case that Patagonia’s products aid that
sustainable future.

6. Value
Another example is Microsoft (under Satya
Nadella): Microsoft is defining the future of
work. With all the talk of automation taking our
jobs, Microsoft is defining a narrative that sees
more augmentation than human replacement.
It just so happens to be that all of Microsoft’s
productivity suite of current and future products
are in the middle of that change.

7. How?
Gather Insights
+
Systems Thinking
+
Futurecasting
=
Define The Future State and
wrap a narrative around it.

8. ‘Because you can’t
disrupt yourself’
Love Child of
IDEO & Morningstar
Focus: Utilities,
Resource Efficiency,
Smart Buildings &
Smart Cities
FutureCasting &
Strategic Narratives

9. Reach out to SeyiatAsha-Labsdotcom to learn more