Review of Storytelling in Organizations: Why Storytelling Is Transforming 21st Century Organizations and Management by John Seeley Brown

Seemingly, the authors in this book have collectively raised their hands to their cheeks and exclaimed, “We've been telling stories! Who knew?” Well, folklorists, librarians and others have known that for a long time. The authors' work may be a unique examination of “story” but only in the context of corporate culture. It is a passionate and enthusiastic call from the recently converted to the use of narrative as a motivator within traditional business settings.

The authors seem to convey they have a very narrow view of “narrative”– as an action taken for a predetermined effect. Story is seen as a tool – one of a suite – used to positively affect production outcomes. In the afterword Denning does point out that story should be seen as at the center of an organization, but this single sentence does not make up for 166 pages of why storytelling should be “included.”

Furthermore, the authors fail to place organizational storytelling in the larger context of the storytelling revival movement that has been with us for at least the past decade. In addition, their thoughts on technologies' roles in constructing narrative meanings often are anachronistic.

Each author sequentially shares his or her conversion stories based on personal business experience. This approach does not give us any sense of a conversation between the four or with the audience at the symposium of the Smithsonian Institute in 2001, on which this book is based. What we have is not an integrated book but a series of podium presentations.

Prusack, formerly of IBM, seems to dismiss the pervasive and growing world of electronic narrative (via e‐mail, blogs, textchat, e‐learning/training, digital, and more static forms such as intranets) (p. 34). There is substantial research drawing largely from social network theory on the uses of the internet in work, but this is not mentioned. Prusack believes that one needs to be face‐to‐face for business to be accomplished, in particular when new technologies are in place and are used routinely in such industries as telecom, a surprising view for a former executive at a technology company like IBM. Budgets are such that travel is not even an option for anyone but the most senior managers. Today, travel for a multinational team is less efficient than IM, web cameras, and NetMeeting when your engineers, project mangers, and forecasting groups are in Dehli, Dublin, and Denver. The author at times seem woefully out of touch with the concerns or real life of twenty‐first‐century middle managers when we read that “I've heard people say that they tell and hear stories through e‐mail. But I find it hard to believe,” (p. 35). Downloadable podcasts are nearly routine by now. And what about those company e‐letters from corporate? Are those not narratives?

And then we have blogs which have now become the tool‐de‐jour. Workforce blogging is an example of just how threatening – or powerful – stories are to an organization's identity; so much so, that blogging about your “day at the office” might just get you fired. Blogging can be seen as a positive catalyst for change when you consider how narrative is used in whistleblowing: when a culture of enforced silence prevents organizations from acting ethically. Blogging and water cooler chatter are essentially the same, except, of course, when considering the scale of such water‐hole worklore. Blogging discourse encourages a merging of identity: a blurring between personal and professional, employee and employer image. The power of this form of narrative does not go unnoticed: indeed, Bob Lutz, the current vice chairman of General Motors, has his own blog as a corporate response to traditional media's presentation of their autos in a fierce global market.

Use of emerging technologies in narrative is better addressed by Brown, former director of Xerox PARC. He offers the promise of a thoughtful conversation on the uses of social software, and how effective these tools are in creating community (see Wellman and Haythornthwaite, 2002). He points out, quite practically, how organizational knowledge can be collaboratively created and adapted in dynamic systems (such as we have in any workplace). But he slips into generalizations that can be troubling. For instance, he mentions teenagers as having, somehow by sheer virtue of being born in the digital age, expert knowledge in technologies (54); which is a gross assumption grounded in the idea that today all youth have access to and can afford them. Statements such as this give the distinct impression of the author being in rarified, sometimes stale, air.

Story as a tool, since this is how it is being presented by the authors, is most lucidly and clearly articulated by Denning, who, through clear examples of his work with the World Bank, suggests that story transforms organizational cultures. Through my own work studying how school librarians use narrative to reframe their professional identities in a time of profound transition within the profession (in seeming response to emergent technologies), I could readily agree that story does have a role in organizational change. However, Denning suggests a rather uncomplicated use of narrative that may seem too pat (p. 110), and he falls into such broad statements as: “For a story to spark action, it must have a happy ending,” (p. 121), which ignores an entire body of “cautionary tales” that can inform wise policy changes.

The visual in story is left to Groh, who – as a filmmaker herself – offers the potential of discussing the role of visual communications. Her chapter is frustratingly short, and leaves the reader wanting more … well, stories.

As far as writing style itself, while the publisher promises an “engagingly personal and idiosyncratic tone”, it might better be described as sometimes casually vague and awkward. For instance, the authors hope they are “… putting before you idea sparkers and in radiating possibility” (p. xii) and offering readers “evocative objects to think with” (p. 54). The former phrasing implies something rather dangerous (perhaps having to do with fire and isotopes), and the latter… well, the reader is left with any assortment of impressions. The tone regrettably can slip into self promotion rather than authentic reflection. Compared to Denning's other work (e.g., The Leader's Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative (Denning, 2005)) potentially blazing the trail for a richer understanding of the “folkloric” in organizational culture, this book particularly falls short.

The authors set out to craft an argument to “include” storytelling in organizations, and this stress is misplaced. What might be more revelatory is to offer guidance in recognizing the narrative that already lends shape and life to dynamic organization management. Instead of stressing how to bring storytelling in as a tool to be used in an organization; what they should be stressing is how to harvest the power of narrative that already defines the culture.

Take their own stories, for instance: each is a hero tale, one of transformation and overcoming challenges. Each author conforms to what we might call “story discourse”. While they do not make clear whether they are doing this with that self‐awareness, we must at least recognize the journeys made and the attempts at making these personal narratives of revelation resonate. And these personal tales may well resonate. We might continue to witness business professionals recognizing their own workplaces as unique subcultures; might begin to see email and IM as worklore of their particular specialization.

Story discourse is subversive: allowing the “unspeakable” to be spoken. This is one of the key strengths of narrative: as a tool for intellectual freedom, particularly in hegemonies such as we find in hierarchal workplaces, where power is concentrated at, typically, higher levels. Story becomes the tool of the disempowered. And perhaps this is another aspect that is unique to the authors: these are leaders who were formally in large organizations, but are now independent entrepreneurs. It is significant to note that the authors, in some regard, are now outside of the hegemonies in which they once adhered to the cultural norms. So, one might say the authors are contributing to a growing vocabulary regarding narrative in the workplace: making story less a threat than an invitation, less uncontrollable and more controlled. And for this, we salute them and encourage a broader use and understanding of story in all contexts, wherever we may work.