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Squirrel Inc. A Fable of Leadership through Storytelling TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 FOREWORD 5 The author explains the purpose of the book and the process by which it came to be written. Part One CHAPTER 1: SQUIRREL INC.: How to Craft a Story to Spark Organizational Change 13 Diana is an up-and-coming executive at Squirrel Inc., an organization in decline. She seeks guidance from a bartender on how to persuade the organization to change. In the chapter, she learns in nine steps how to craft a story to communicate a complex idea and spark action. CHAPTER 2: DIANA TELLS HER STORY: How to Perform the Story To Spark Change 33 After initial success with her story at Squirrel Inc., Diana returns to seek further guidance from the bartender on how to enhance the performance of her story. Part Two CHAPTER 3: SAVE SQUIIREL INC. NIGHT: Seven Different Types of Organizational Storytelling 48 After the success of her story with the managing committee of Squirrel Inc., Diana joins employees to explore other ways in which storytelling can help address the challenges that the firm is facing. CHAPTER 4: WHYSE'S STORY: How to Use Storytelling to Reveal Who You Are and Build Trust 55 Whyse shows how storytelling can enhance communication in corporate environments by communicating who you are. CHAPTER 5: HESTER'S STORY: How to Use Storytelling to Get Individuals to Work Together 63 Hester shows how storytelling can be used to get individuals working together. She presents five steps to craft a story for nurturing a community. CHAPTER 6: MARK'S STORY: How to Use Storytelling to Transmit Values 70 Mark shows how stories that are told and retold in organization, particularly about the organization's leaders, transmit the organization's values. CHAPTER 7: MOCHA'S STORY: How to Use Storytelling to Tame the Grapevine 77 Mocha shows how humor can be used to harness the power of the informal network of communication in an organization and tame the grapevine by neutralizing rumors and bad news. CHAPTER 8: HOWE'S STORY How to Use Storytelling to Share Knowledge 85 Howe shows how the sharing of knowledge takes place through a particular kind of narrative. CHAPTER 9: SANDRA'S STORY: How to Tell Stories that Create a Future 94 Sandra shows how future stories - visions, business models, scenarios - help organizations move into the future. Meanwhile Howe reveals some unexpected developments within Squirrel Inc. CHAPTER 10: HOWE UPSETS THE ACORNS: How Individuals and Organizations Can React to Change 105 The discussion in the bar now turns to what will happen next at Squirrel Inc. Will the old way of doing business triumph? Or will Squirrel Inc. carry through with the change? The characters explore these and other possibilities. Part Three CHAPTER 11: THE JOURNEY OF A LEADER: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Leadership 114 As the continuing tale of Squirrel Inc. unfolds, the characters encounter a variety of surprises and Diana goes on a journey. CHAPTER 12: THE RETURN TO SQUIRREL INC. Living the Story as Well As Telling It 126 We learn of the impact of storytelling on Squirrel Inc. and on Diana herself. TABLE: SEVEN HIGH-VALUE FORMS OF ORGANIZATIONAL STORYTELLING 132 The nature, form and purpose of seven high-value kinds of organizational storytelling are compared. Further reading 131 Write to the author 140 Acknowledgements 141 About the author 142 Notes
Library of Congress Subject Headings for this publication: Communication in organizations, Storytelling, Leadership, Organizational change, Organizational learning