Story Time

When you are meeting your friend’s family (or your significant other’s family) for the first time, you might hear a lot of stories. Storytelling in tight-knit cultures can be incredibly indicative of what the culture holds dear. Not only does it relate quickly what is funny or important, it reassures the people in the culture that they belong.

Stories…”grant comfort, reassurance, direction, and hope to people of all ages” (Bolman 2008, p. 259).

I want to help my clients understand the cultures that they’re in—and what those values might be—by analyzing common stories from those cultures. For example, I can think of a few stories I would share with other co-workers, and some I wouldn’t. I would also share completely different stories from my job with my friends.

What does it mean that you’ll tell certain stories to some, but not others? Which values are you living in at work, but not elsewhere?

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2008). Organizational symbols and culture. In Reframing organizations: artistry, choice, and leadership (4th ed., pp. 251–278). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.