Why Is The Narrative Of Your Organisation Important?

I suspect most of us have sat through those earnest presentations about organisational culture and storytelling. You know the ones - they tend to feature stock photos of diverse teams gathered around whiteboards, all pointing enthusiastically at something just out of frame. (I've always wondered what they're meant to be looking at. Perhaps it's the ghost of corporate narratives past?)

And yet... there's something vitally important hiding beneath all that corporate gloss, isn't there? Something that might help us understand why some organisations seem to hum with shared purpose while others feel more like a collection of job descriptions in search of meaning.

The Official Narrative vs. The Real Story

Let's start with what we already know works. Most organisations have their official narrative - the carefully crafted mission statements, the values plastered on walls (or these days, on Zoom backgrounds). And these aren't entirely wrong, they're just... incomplete.

Think about families for a moment. Every family has its official story - where they came from, what they stand for. But the real story? That lives in the small moments: the inside jokes, the way they handle disappointments, the traditions that evolved by accident. Really, and if you’ll forgive me for sounding incredibly corny for a moment, your organisation isn't so different.

The Power of Unofficial Stories

The narrative that matters isn't the one in your brand guidelines. It's in how Sarah in accounts always makes time to help new starters, even when she's swamped. It's in the way your product team argued for three months about an ethical design choice that would cost you market share. It's even in those eye-rolls during the annual values workshop (though perhaps we'd rather it wasn't).

In my experience, these unofficial stories tend to be more powerful than any official narrative we might try to impose. They're the stories that shape decisions when no one's watching, that influence whether people stay or leave, that determine whether your organisation bends or breaks under pressure.

The Danger of Trying to Control the Narrative

Here's what tends to happen in most organisations: we try to control the narrative from above. We craft beautiful stories about who we are and what we stand for, then wonder why they don't quite stick. It's a bit like trying to choreograph a dance party - the moment you start directing people's movements, it stops being a party.

Listening to the Stories Being Told

What if instead, we started paying attention to the stories already being told? What patterns emerge in casual conversations? Which stories get repeated, refined, passed along? There's wisdom in these informal narratives - they're showing us who we really are, not just who we wish to be.

(And yes, sometimes these stories might make us uncomfortable. That's often where the most valuable insights hide.)

Nurturing the Stories That Shape Your Reality

The challenge - and it's a significant one - isn't about creating a perfect narrative. It's about learning to notice, nurture and occasionally nudge the stories that are already shaping your organisation's reality. It's messier than crafting a top-down narrative, but then again, most worthwhile things are.

Evolving Your Organisation's Narrative

So perhaps the next time you're tempted to launch a major narrative initiative, pause and listen first. What stories are already being told in the corridors (virtual or physical) of your organisation? What do they tell you about who you really are? And perhaps most importantly, what small shifts might help those stories evolve in ways that serve both your people and your purpose?

After all, the best organisational narratives aren't written - they're discovered, nurtured, and allowed to grow. A bit like those office plants that somehow survive despite our best efforts to care for them. (Though perhaps that's a story for another day...)

What Stories Might You Discover If You Just Stopped To Listen?

For more information on building up your team and organisation to create a more productive and harmonious working environment for your business, please get in touch with the team at Narrate today.

Image Source: Canva