Sounds cool…. and kind of curious, right? Like is organizational storytelling even a thing. Actually, it is! *cute gif dance* LOL. I didn’t realize it—or call it organizational storytelling—ten years ago where I was helping the nonprofit I worked for develop its unique identity, message and signature practices.
All companies and brands have a story. Not always, but often, this story emerges from a conceptual versus a relational space. What about the staff ritual before a program launch? Or the debrief after an extensive What are the processes and procedures that your organization or company takes that tells the world that you see them? That you care and aren’t just around to reap revenue and reputation?
Organizational Storytelling (OS) is a technique that helps people make sense of your organization through individual stories and group narratives. Organizational Storytelling mirrors and enriches a mission statement in the way it weaves strands of personal stories while connecting those stories to prescient through lines.
“The context of the narrative must be a human, not an institutional, relationship. People want to get a sense for your company as if it were a person. Human relationships require reciprocity and authenticity. The narrative should say who you are, not just what you do.” -Mark Bonchek, Harvard Business Review
If you want to learn more about OS, geek out with me and this guy at Harvard Business Review!
