BOOKS
The Story Factor: Secrets of Influence from the Art of Storytelling
Author: Simmons, Annette. www.groupprocessconsulting.com
Publisher: Perseus Publishing
Comments: The subtitle sums it up: “secrets of influence from the art of storytelling.” In the foreword, Doug Lipman says, “You will learn a thousand secrets for influencing others in lasting ways. And, like me, you will find yourself forever changed.” Contains valuable bibliography of books and articles.
Categories: Leadership and Cultural Change
Improving Your Storytelling Beyond the Basics for All Who Tell Stories in Work or Play
Author: Lipman, Doug
Format: Book
Publisher: August House
Comments: The last chapter describes “transformation.” Lipman says, “Every highly successful storytelling event changes the listeners and the storyteller.” This book can help you go beyond the basics in using storytelling to bring about transformation in an organization. More about this book
Categories: Leadership, Cultural Change, Conflict Resolution, Training, Sales, Marketing, Community Relations, Recruiting
The Storytelling Coach How to Listen, Praise, and Bring Out People’s Best
Author: Lipman, Doug
Format: Book
Publisher:August House
Comments: Organizations need coaches and mentors to help individuals develop storytelling skills. This book offers unique knowledge that these coaches need. More about this book
Categories: Leadership, Mentoring
The Springboard How Storytelling Ignites Action in Knowledge-Era Organizations
Author: Denning, Stephen www.stevedenning.com
Format: Book
Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann
Comments: What a “springboard story” is and how it can transform an organization’s culture. In addition to examples of how storytelling worked, Denning also gives a valuable example of when storytelling didn’t work. And why. Bibliography.
Categories: Leadership and Cultural Change, Selling Value
Making Stories A Practical Guide for Organizational Leaders and Human Resource Specialists
Author: Gargiulo, Terrence L.
Format: Book
Publisher: Quorum Books
Comments: Resource for practical, “how-to” information. The title says it all.
Categories: Leadership, Cultural Change, Selling Value, Training, Conflict Resolution, Recruiting
Inviting the Wolf In Thinking About Difficult Stories
Author: Niemi, Loren and Elizabeth Ellis
Format: Book
Publisher: August House
Comments: Good leaders have to be able to tell difficult stories. This book is for organizational leaders as well as lawyers, teachers, ministers, and human service professionals.
Categories: Leadership, Cultural Change, Community Relations, Training, Conflict Resolution
Orbiting the Giant Hairball A Corporate Fool’s Guide to Surviving with Grace
Author: MacKenzie, Gordon
Format: Book
Publisher: Viking
Comments: Survival guide for gifted individuals who spend their days working beside Dilbert. Also a guide for leaders of these creative individuals. Wonderful collection of stories that worked (and didn’t work) in an organization.
Categories: Leadership, Conflict Resolution, Training, Sales and Marketing.
Outlearning the Wolves Surviving and Thriving in a Learning Organization
Author: Hutchens, David
Format: Book
Publisher: Pegasus Communications, Inc.
Comments: Good example of how a metaphor (story) can foster sustaining and transformational change. Involves Peter Senge’s books and ideas about systems thinking and the learning organization.
Categories: Cultural Change, Leadership
Managing by Storying Around A New Method of Leadership
Author: Armstrong, David
Format: Book
Publisher: Armstrong International
Comments: Although written nearly a decade ago this small book looks through the eyes of a CEO at how to credibly use an organization’s everyday stories as a way to communicate values and expectations.
Categories: Leadership
In Good Company How Social Capital Makes Organizations Work
Author: Cohen, Don, and Laurence Prusak
Format: Book
Publisher: Harvard Business School Press
Comments: The book is about human connections in an organization: trust, networks, and sense of community. The chapter, “Social Talk and Storytelling,” fits storytelling into this context and suggests ways to encourage the use of storytelling.
Categories: Leadership
Storytelling in Organizations Facts, Fictions, and Fantasies
Author: Gabriel, Yiannis
Format: Book
Publisher: Oxford University Press USA
Comments: Although academically written, this book provides a framework for categorizing and analyzing stories found in an organizational context.
Categories: Leadership
Resolving Personal and Organizational Conflict: Stories of Transformation & Forgiveness
Author: Cloke, Kenneth and Goldsmith, Joan
Format: Book
Publisher: Jossey-Bass
Comments: Stories are a fundamental part of the mediation process and in this book the authors dig below the surface to point out the archetypes and hidden meanings of conflict stories. Their conflict resolution model employs familiar fairy tale characters (Dragon persecutor; Princess victim; and Prince rescuer) to provide a framework for solving organizational and individual conflicts in a way that preserves the relationship.
Categories: Conflict Resolution
Corporate Legends & Lore: The Power of Storytelling as a Management Tool
Author: Neuhauser, Peg C.
Format: Book
Publisher: Author owns copyright.
Comments: While there are more recent books on using story in business organizations as a leadership communication tool, this easily readable and applicable book is still valuable. Neuhauser looks at the practicalities of employing story in various contexts, what constitutes a negative or positive story and the potential for story to be considered just so much more corporate propaganda among other relevant issues as well as provides wonderful examples to make her points.
Categories: Leadership
Stories Trainers Tell: 55 Ready-to-Use Stories to Make Training Stick
Author: Wacker, Mary B. and Silverman, Lori L.
Format: Book
Publisher: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer
Comments: This book provides the tips and stories that trainers and facilitators use to reinforce their points and bring learning lessons to life across such subjects as appreciating differences; leadership and problem solving. The authors also address what makes a training story; where stories come from; how to craft them and how to use them legally and ethically. This book also comes with a CD. The paperback version will be available in October 2004.
Categories: Training, Development and Mentoring
ARTICLES AND OTHER MEDIA
Once Upon a Time When a meeting of the minds isn’t enough, try a meeting of the emotions: Tell a story.
Author: Birchard, Bill
Format: Article
Publisher: strategy+business, Issue 27 Second Quarter 2002, Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., www.strategy-business.com
Comments: Overview of value of storytelling in an organization.
Categories: Leadership, Culture Change
Strategic Stories: How 3M is Rewriting Business Planning
Author: Shaw, Gordon, Brown, Robert and Bromiley, Philip
Format: Article
Publisher: Harvard Business Review, May/June 1998
Comments: Provides a rationale for using stories to convey goals and strategies rather than traditional presentations with bullet points.
Categories: Leadership
Vision Revisited: telling the story of the future
Author: Levin, Ira M.
Format: Article
Publisher: Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, March 2000 v36
Comments: The author discusses the varying, often conflicting definitions of the term “organization vision” and provides examples of how to develop a clear vision story of the future within a business environment.
Categories: Leadership, Cultural Change
Executive Managers: cultural expectations through stories about work
Author: Hansen, Carol D. and Kahnweiler, William M.
Format: Article
Publisher: Journal of Applied Management Studies, December 1997 v6 n2
Comments: This article discusses how by analyzing components of stories (heroes, villains, turning points etc.) of stories existing within workplaces researchers were able to see how top executives informally influence the work assumptions within their companies. The article also discusses implications for management education.
Categories: Leadership, Cultural Change
Bringing Us Back to Life: storytelling and the modern organization
Author: Seth Weaver Kahan
Format: Article
Publisher: Information Outlook, May 2001, v5 i5
Comments: This brief article demonstrates the use of story in a information technology environment.
Categories: Leadership, Cultural Change
PEOPLE AND COMPANIES
Person or Company: Seth Kahan
Service Provided: Helps organizations as a speaker, storyteller, facilitator for collaboration, and more.
Categories: Leadership, Cultural Change, Conflict Resolution, Training, Development, Mentoring
Contact/URL: http://www.sethkahan.com
Person or Company: Doug Lipman
Service or Product : Coaching, training, publications, web site
Categories: Leadership, Cultural Change, Conflict Resolution, Training, Development, Mentoring
Contact/URL: storydynamics.com
Person or Company: McLellan Wyatt Digital
Service Provided: Helps clients develop and implement an effective content strategy using the latest media resources available
Categories: Leadership, Cultural Change, Training
Contact/URL: http://tech-head.com/mwd.htm
Person or Company: Annette Simmons
Service or Product : author, speaker, researcher, teaches storytelling, dialogue facilitator
Categories: Marketing, Leadership, Group Process, Dialogue, Storytelling, Human Behavior, Behavioral Health
Contact/URL: www.groupprocessconsulting.com
EVENTS
Note: The workingstories web site maintains an excellent and active list of events, worldwide: http://www.workingstories.org
Event: Annual National Storytelling Conference: Pre-Conference Sessions on Storytelling in Organizations
Service Provided: Full day of presentations.
Categories: Vary from year to year.
Contact/URL: www.storynet.org
WEB SITES
Tip: The best way to get an extensive and current list of sites is to type a phrase like “storytelling in organizations” into a search engine. Here are a few specific sites with info on storytelling in organizations.
Value/Info: Say It With a Story offers free articles and a free monthly e-zine that showcases story application throughout organizational life and numerous tried and true tales on over 20 organizational topics. Use stories to strengthen the impact of your communications at work and to get people to remember critical business information.
URL: www.sayitwithastory.com
Value/Info: Valuable site dedicated organizational storytelling. Has a bulletin board, list of local organizational storytelling groups, library, and calendar of events.
URL: www.workingstories.org
Value/Info: Large bibliography of useful books
URL: www.creatingthe21stcentury.org/Bibliography.html
Value/Info: Collection of articles and extensive collection of links related to storytelling in organizations, especially in more than one storytelling medium.
URL: http://tech-head.com/ and
URL: http://tech-head.com/dstory.htm
Value/Info: Article in Presentations magazine: Telling Stories
URL: www.presentations.com/presentations/search/search_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1105110
Value/Info: Narrative psychology and storied conduct.
URL: http://web.lemoyne.edu/%7Ehevern/narpsych.html