Narratives and Storytelling

Abstract

The term narrative has become so widely used within management as to almost empty it of meaning. Here we argue for the enduring relevance of narrative, focusing on in what contexts and to what end a narrative approach is valid and useful. People working in and leading twenty first century public services need to engage with the potential of narratives to shape their work and inspire others. The changes in the external environment and in citizen expectations that were set out in the introduction to the book have implications for how people communicate. The role of storyteller is crucial to the skill set of the future public servant. In this chapter we will look at narrative as a specific form of communication and at the scope for it to be the basis for effective and inspiring leadership. As elsewhere in the book, we focus on people delivering public services across a range of different organizations, and not only public sector workers. The first part of the chapter explores what narratives are and how they differ from other forms of communication. In the second part of the chapter we provide reflection from practices, drawing on a number of narratives from public service workers, to illustrate key aspects of how public narratives work as interventions.