"We are all storytellers" - creating change through stories with Steve Denning

I'm an engineer, so I must admit to some skepticism leading up to Steve Denning's BIF workshop on Storytelling and Innovation (April 12, '06). How could telling tales lead organizations to embrace and realize change? Denning must have had a good story, because I emerged a convert to the power of narrative to create change.

Denning is an accidental storyteller, who spent most of his career as a manager at the World Bank. During a time of crisis, when he was sent to organizational Siberia as an unsubtle hint to move on from the World Bank, he discovered how to use storytelling to overcome the inertia of the status quo and create meaningful action. Using his well-oiled personal story, Denning helped us to understand the specific narrative patterns that change motivation and behaviour.

Springboard Stories are what Denning calls these particular narratives. They are stories that are True, Positive, Minimalist, and Lead to Action. Stories that are crafted around these four tenets have integrity, create a positive emotional response and leave room for the listener to see themselves in the story - and rewrite it for their own reality. Most importantly, Springboard Stories lead the listener towards action by showing them what is possible.

Denning's content on Innovation was suprisingly insightful. He had some unkind words for what he called the "gadget theories" of innovation, where a model, process, or technology would make innovation work. And he made a good case for using stories as a way to create understanding, excitement, and momentum around making disruptive innovation happen. Yet I was left with a belief that it isn't an either-or scenario, and that storytelling is a powerful addition to the emerging innovation toolset.

In summary: Denning's assertion, with which I must reluctantly agree, is that no one has ever agreed to do anything really hard or gutsy based solely on analysis or a rational argument, in the absence of an emotional connection. Stories are how humans make sense of the world. We are all storytellers from birth, but most of us become part of institutions and organizations that beat it out of us. By reconnecting to our inner storyteller, and understanding how to harness the narrative patterns that work in organizations, we can all be much more successful at making big innovation happen.