The power of organizational storytelling: The story of a company in times of transformation

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Abstract

Organizational storytelling is a way to share information, guide decision-making, and affect how well a business does. Employee attitudes are molded through storytelling, which also has an empowering effect on employees. This is particularly true in times of change and transformation (Wilson, 2019). Storytelling is grounded in constructivist narrative learning theory (Clark & Rossiter, 2008). The purpose of this study is to explore the use of storytelling by a leading company in the telecommunications sector in the Middle East. A qualitative methodology was adopted, using interviews as a research tool to provide an in-depth narrative of individuals’ experiences of storytelling during a time of organizational transformation. Twenty employees participated in this study, across managerial and non-managerial roles. The main conclusion is that storytelling is overall perceived positively by company employees who adopt this tool. In times of crises and transformation, this tool contributes to change, a collective culture, communication, unity, employee well-being, and productivity.

Keywords: Organizational Storytelling, Qualitative Research, Change Management, Narrative Learning Theory

Authors’ individual contribution: Conceptualization — N.K.; Methodology — R.F.; Validation — F.W.; Formal Analysis — P.B.; Writing — Original Draft — N.K. and R.F.; Writing — Review & Editing — P.B. and F.W.; Visualization — F.W.; Supervision — N.K.; Project Administration — R.F.

Declaration of conflicting interests: The Authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

JEL Classification: M1, L8, L1

Received: 20.12.2022
Accepted: 07.07.2023
Published online: 11.07.2023

How to cite this paper: Khdour, N., Fenech, R., Baguant, P., & Wahid, F. (2023). The power of organizational storytelling: The story of a company in times of transformation. Corporate Governance and Organizational Behavior Review, 7(3), 204–210. https://doi.org/10.22495/cgobrv7i3p16