Stories of transformation

Disciplines > Storytelling > Storytelling in organizations > Stories of transformation

Description | Example | Discussion | See also

Description

Transformation stories tell about how individuals, groups and entire organizations went through deep and fundamental change, transforming from one state to another.

A common structure to this story is:

Before, we were happily blind, not realizing the difficulties. Then something happened and we realized that we could not stay where we were.
The transformation was a difficult journey and some did not make it.
Looking back it was all worth it. Now things are much better. Our future, looking forward, is bright.

Example

We make kitchen china and found that cheap imports were eating our business. We survived for a while by cost reduction and redundancies but then realized that we needed to differentiate. We employed a young design team and really re-thought our marketing methods and now we are growing again, even in overseas markets where our lifestyle brands are keeping us ahead.

Discussion

Like caterpillars and butterflies, transformation involves a deep change that leads to people emerging very different from when they entered the process.

Transformational stories often use the metaphor of a journey, often an adventurous one with hardships along the way.