How storytelling can drive strategic change

Purpose The authors advocate making storytelling an integral tool of corporate strategy. Stories create the experience that lets strategy be understood at a personal level. In order to be effective, strategy must not just inform, it must. And people are never inspired by reason alone. Design/methodology/approach A case study of the development and presentation of a strategic story – one designed to describe the future of San Juan Regional. It became known as “The Raiders of the Lost Art.” Findings According the CEO of San Juan Regional: “We learned a whole new way for management and employees to work together to make dramatic new things happen. So we have committed to this type of storytelling and feedback to be done every 18 months.” Research limitations/implications Research on the success of companies implementing strategic change using the storytelling tool vs. those that rely on an analytical presentation would be valuable. Practical implications If you want your change message to actually take hold – if you want it to transform how things are done in your world – then weave your message about the new strategy into a compelling and memorable story. Originality/value When more leaders immerse their employees in compelling and inspirational strategy stories, more companies will achieve their change goals.