| Abstrakt: |
Organizations are sites of interpersonal communication, although there is disagreement as to the extent such communication occurs and its utility in the workplace. Storytelling is central to organizational life. In comparing lists and stories, notes that some organizations are list-oriented, focused on "standards, accountability, certainty, and reportability" and cites a computer services department as an example. Others, such as religious congregations, are stories-dominated. Stories, which are "romantic, humorous, conflicted, tragic, and most of all, dramatic," influence organizational culture in ways different from lists. For example, lists focus on technical communication and explicit rules for interacting, whereas stories are more personal and often "account for a private honor and dignity not represented in the formal structure of the organization." Stories transmit organizational values, foster shared meanings, and assist newcomers in the socialization process. Stories have been found to be more persuasive than statistical data and are an important source of organizational history and knowledge. |
