Corporate Storytelling helps to deepen and enliven an organization’s Vision, Mission, and Strategy.
How does storytelling help communicate the Mission and Vision?
Missions, visions, and core values are often expressed in a series of abstract words. While well-intentioned, these words alone usually aren’t enough to provide employees with the clarity and direction they need to act decisively. These word sequences often lack context, fail to be internalized, and can feel artificial. This is where a corporate story or narrative can help. Because stories tap into emotions, they play a vital role in motivation and behavioral change. Storytelling makes the mission and vision tangible and relatable.
Our approach to developing a Corporate Story
Writing a corporate story is a process in which we first search for the essence of the organization—looking not only at its history but also at its present and future. What is the connecting factor that is recognized, inspires, and provides direction? We examine the organization’s landscape through a narrative lens and look for storytelling elements such as heroes, monsters, treasures, and helpers. For this, we use our Storytelling Canvas. Broadly speaking, we follow these three steps:
1. DISCOVER THE corporate story
In a corporate storytelling workshop, we explore the core of the corporate story from different perspectives. What is the dynamic of the story? What are the key driving forces?
Together, we imagine, experience, and enrich the corporate story through creative exercises and tools.
2. CREATING THE corporate story
We translate the insights from the corporate storytelling workshop into a ‘big story’. This is a narrative that clearly expresses what the organization fundamentally stands for, what its ambition is, and what makes the company distinctive and relevant.
If desired, the corporate story can be brought to life in a storybook with visuals and/or a corporate story film.
3. SPREADING THE STORIES
We help translate the corporate story into practice.
How can management convey the vision through personal stories? How can employees find and share their own stories rooted in the corporate story? What actions will reinforce the corporate story? And how can we translate the corporate story into channels such as the website?
Story constellation with a cross-section of the organization
Storytelling Canvas (explanation)
“Ralph and Sander, through thorough preliminary research, managed to choose exactly the right approach for the two workshops. Before our eyes, what we do throughout the entire organization unfolded: ‘helping entrepreneurs and government move forward’.”