Storytelling and conversation is at the heart of everything that we do

Organisations are storytelling organisms.  They all have a story about who they are, what they are about and where they came from.  And every person in an organisation also has a story to tell.

Our ChangeStories® work with organisations enables these stories to be told and shared.  Our research shows that organisations that take the time to share stories through dialogue are more likely to be successful in creating change.  Organisations that share stories experience improved levels of teamworking and innovation and managers report feeling more empowered to resolve problems.

Our work is rooted in Appreciative Inquiry, the practice of asking “what is the best of what is” rather than focusing on issues and problems.  This approach is proven in leading to greater success in change.  In fact, recent research suggests that organisations that take this approach are 4 times more likely to achieve change success than those that focus on the negatives.  We have found that using Appreciative Inquiry generates more ideas and inspiration and greater clarity of goals and development areas.

But, our passion for storytelling and conversation goes deeper than this.  Experience shows us that many problems in organisations are caused by conversations not happening.  Think about many people management problems such as poor performance, grievances, disciplinary issues, employee absence and high levels of employee turnover.  How many of these issues could be dealt with sooner and more effectively if conversations had been had at the right time with the right people?  And how much more human would organisations be if these conversations were just a normal part of every day work?