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Wake Me Up When the Data Is Over
February 01, 2008
How organizations use storytelling to drive results (By Lori Silverman, Jossey-Bass, 288 pages, $29.95)
By Skip Corsini
Overall Rating: 3 Stars
"To find stories requires listening appreciatively to communications and tuning in to all types of conversations within the organization—as well as paying attention to what is not said."
Lori Silverman presents a compelling case for the use of stories by corporate leaders, executives, and middle managers. The premise is that employee disengagement is 70 percent in the U. S., which means that 30 percent of us really care about our jobs, our companies, and the immediate future. The people at Gallup agree that the number is that high for disengagement, so it must be right.
The book is a result of 171 interviews with corporate leaders and is full of examples of companies using storytelling to manage people and other resources to achieve desired results. The names include Coors, United Way, NASA, BMC Software, the California Department of Social Services, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, along with a lot of organizations whose names are not as widely known.
Many of the actual stories used in companies are published here, making the book fun to read. Some are pretty clever and others not as much, as you might imagine, but I came away thinking there is really something to storytelling in the workplace, as long as it isn't "produced" by the higher-ups. If that were the case the whole concept would go down the company drain with TQM, ISO, Customer Service Excellence, and all those other fads. But if you want to get the hang of it, go get this book.
Buy Wake Me Up When the Data is Over: How Organizations Use Storytelling to Drive Results (Your Coach in a Box).
Skip Corsini is a consultant at Dale Carnegie Corporate Services, San Francisco.
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