Now we're ready to begin. We know what we want to achieve, what culture we want, and how this new culture will enhance our performance. Now all we need is the means to make the change. One of the best ways of changing an organization's culture is described in David Armstrong's three books on corporate storytelling. Throughout millennia, societies have reinforced, and even created, their beliefs by passing on the oral histories of their culture.
People have an inherited talent for remembering stories, sometimes even long and complex ones.
And these remembered stories provide a framework for current and future decisions and actions. Cognitive psychologists have long known the power of the mind to remember stories, examples and case studies. Long after theory is blurred in our minds, we remember the details of an illustrative story. In company after company, people with whom I've worked have told me the stories that have shaped their behavior. One executive shared with me a story from his long-ago summer job in a theme park.