Far Wise in Knowledge Management

Developing a storytelling workshop for colleagues

Storytelling was one of the topics that I worked on/ researched years ago. And I really mean years ago, I saw that I posted in this blog a few times in 2004 and 2005 about it. Well, storytelling is back on my radar, as I was asked to organize a Storytelling workshop in my company. This was a few months ago, I forgot the context, how we came to the idea of a workshop on storytelling. Anyway, I said "Yes, of course, I can do that", but was a bit scared at the same time. On the one hand, I think I know enough about storytelling to talk about it, but I never gave a workshop about it before. A workshop means interaction, so I really had to think about setting up an interactive session about storytelling in business. Luckily I had some time to prepare and I asked a colleague to help me out. I started with the layout: what is the goal of the workshop, what are the topics to discuss and what can we do to practice the different elements of storytelling. I looked into the old materials that I still have, looked online for examples (YouTube, TED.com). From the beginning it was clear to me that it should be about storytelling in business, and not so much marketing/branding (although there are plenty of examples for that).

Last week Friday, we held the workshop with 7 participants, all colleagues of mine. We had planned for half a day, but with the materials we collected we could have filled more time (during the workshop we decided to skip a few videos). What worked really well, was to look at a few corporate stories and analyse them. What worked less was that most participants were too hesitant to tell the story they created (in the end). I wasn't sure: should we have pushed them to tell it? We didn't, but then it felt too easy to say "I'm not going to do it". Something to think about for next time: how do we pursuade more people to tell their created story.

No pictures taken, sorry, I was too busy!

 

 

Storytelling in a job interview

I'm writing things in a unlogical order, going back and forward in time. So, I should have mentioned that I found a job (hurray, even though it's only for 6 months) in the Innovation and Knowledge Management Unit of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). Later, when I have a better impression myself, I'll tell what my work involves. First, I want to share how I got here and how storytelling helped me.

The leader's guide to storytelling

Steve Denning announces that his book The Leader's Guide to Storytelling is published. The same day I receive a message from Amazon that this book is now being shipped to me. I can't wait to read it! Of course, I've already read parts in Steve's weblog, still I would like to read it sitting on the couch instead of reading it from the screen of my computer. For "really" reading the computer can never win from a book.

Macintosh stories

This is great: a site with 117 Macintosh stories ("Anecdotes about the development of Apple's original Macintosh computer, and the people who created it").  For the Mac-lover and everybody else. (From Anecdote)

Expectations of storytelling

A customer asked us to help him with the well-known problem of knowledge and experience that will be lost when a large group of employees will retire the coming years. One of the things we are using to help the customer is storytelling.

We talked with several experienced employees and made video-interviews in which they tell about problems they encounter, which cannot be solved by using the company handbooks. These were very nice interviews with enthousiastic experts ("reflective practitioners" we call them) in which we also heard a lot about the organisation culture. We found that all were great storytellers; sometimes we needed to find the spark to ignite, but then you can see their spirits for the work they do.

However, showing the videos and talking to management, we found out what their expectations for storytelling were: to bridge to knowledge gap between the younger inexperienced and the nearly retired experienced employees. Further talking gave me the feeling that we were talking about knowledge retention, a technique I know from long time ago (expert systems, that type). My feeling is that storytelling is not a good method for knowledge retention, or, the other way: is this (knowledge retention) what we want? Personally, I don't believe in this "brain dump" and it is certainly not our goal with storytelling.

Luckily we were able to convince the management of the way we use storytelling. I learned that even though we thought we made our expectations and goals with storytelling clear, it was not clear (enough) for the management, at least they had different expectations.

New Cynefin site

Shawn Callahan (in Anecdote blog) announces that the Cynefin Centre has a new website. What attracted me as well in the Anecdote post is the following:

In the meantime here is a brief description of a lessons learned project done by the Bank of Thailand which applied Cynefin narrative techniques. 

The Cynefin site is still under construction, it's mainly the homepage that is filled. For the Knowledge Base (which now contains only 1 document) you need to subscribe. It is clear that the site needs some more time; something to visit again later.

More on storytelling

These days I can read a lot about storytelling. The Denning weblog with postings on his new book and a new book in my postbox from Yiannis Gabrial (2000) "Storytelling in organizations: Facts, fictions, and fantasies". I asked for this book because he is one of the few authors who try to build theory around storytelling. Something to read for the weekend! And now I saw that Bill Ives started a series about storytelling, so even more to read and see what he comes with..!

Storytelling weblog

I just found out that Steve Denning also has a weblog. The postings in the month of July 2004 contain excerpts of chapters of his new book A leaders guide to storytelling. He did the same with his former book The Squirrel, posting parts on his homepage, and now in his weblog. I like this opennes of him, and now people can comments (though, as far as I can see, nobody did). If I start reading now, I've got 11 chapters to go! I hope Denning has new things to say in this new book, because when reading parts of The Squirrel I had the feeling I already knew what was coming because I read the first book (The Springboard). Well, since I think storytelling can be promoted more and I find Dennings writings interesting and amusing, I'll certainly start reading these parts of this new book (and his weblog).

Power of stories

A link in Tons weblog refers to a posting of Chris Corrigan Parking lot: Living in open space, who gives a great example of the power of storytelling.

Together with Henk, I talk a lot about story telling. Henk always tells many stories and I hope he'll publish them in his weblog to share them with others (hint).

The good thing about stories is that it is not 'just another technology', it's something that's already there in the organisation. You only have to discover them and listen (be open). Everything you wouldn't read in glossy corporate brochures and promotional videos and that show you the inside of the company, you'll hear in peoples' stories. Stories are the heart of the company. Stories are about people, culture, wishes, dreams, new ideas. And that's what makes them so interesting to me.

Henk wrote a nice paper about storytelling as KM tool in Intellectueel Kapitaal (Dutch magazine).