Narratives in Organizations: Why Stories Shape the Future
“We need a new strategy.”
This sentence comes up regularly in many companies. And it is usually followed by a process that consumes a great deal of energy. There is analysis, discussion, and drafting. In the end, a document emerges that is well structured, carefully thought through, and often quite extensive.
And yet, surprisingly little often happens afterwards.
The strategy is distributed, perhaps even presented. But it fails to create any real impact. Employees nod, return to their day-to-day work, and carry on as before. Not because they are resistant to change. Often, they simply have not truly understood what the strategy means for them.
This is exactly where the conversation with Anne M. Schüller becomes interesting. She draws an important distinction that many organizations overlook. Companies do not have a strategy problem. They have a narrative problem.
A narrative is more than a story. It is the framework that gives stories meaning in the first place. It provides a layer of meaning that creates orientation. While facts and figures need to be processed, stories have a more immediate impact. They help us understand connections and form our own perspective.
This also explains why many strategies fail to gain traction. They describe what is supposed to happen, but they do not answer the question of why it is worth being part of it. And people automatically fill that gap themselves.
However, they do not do so based on official corporate communication, but on what they experience every day.
This brings us to a central idea from the conversation: the distinction between the front stage and the back stage.
The front stage is where official communication takes place. Strategies, mission statements, presentations. Everything appears consistent, carefully considered, and often framed in positive terms.
Backstage, a different picture emerges.
This is where people talk, comment, and interpret what is happening. In conversations between colleagues, in meetings without an agenda, and in brief exchanges throughout the day. And this is precisely where the narratives that truly shape an organization emerge.
When the front stage and the back stage no longer align, the official story loses credibility. People then take their cues from what they tell each other, not from what they are officially told.
This dynamic becomes particularly visible during periods of change. Many organizations invest considerable effort in change processes. They restructure workflows, define objectives, and implement new tools. What is often underestimated is the influence of existing narratives.
Because once stories such as “This will fail again anyway” or “The people at the top make decisions without us” have taken hold within an organization, they become more powerful than any presentation.
They may not be based on logic. But they are rooted in lived experience. And that is precisely what makes them so persistent.
This leads to an important point. Change rarely fails because of a lack of logic. It fails because the stories that already exist within the organization are not taken into account.
One particularly interesting idea from the conversation is that we spend a large part of our time mentally living in the future. We think about what might happen, what will happen, or what we fear could happen. These mental images directly influence our behavior.
When these images are predominantly negative, they create a defensive mindset. When they are constructive, they create momentum.
And this is precisely where many organizations underestimate a powerful lever.
Narratives are not neutral. They have an impact. They influence how people make decisions, assess risks, and respond to change.
When a company succeeds in creating a clear, meaningful, and credible vision of the future, something fundamental changes. People begin to connect with it. Not because they have to, but because they understand why it makes sense.
For leadership, this represents a shift. It is no longer enough to define goals and manage their implementation. Leadership also means creating meaning. Making connections. Telling stories that provide direction.
And that does not begin with sending messages. It begins with listening.
The key question is not which story should be told. The key question is which stories already exist. Which narratives have become established backstage.
Only when these become visible is it possible to work with them.
Ultimately, much of this comes down to a simple but challenging idea. The future is not created through planning alone. It is also shaped by what people believe about that future.
And those beliefs are strongly influenced by stories.
Or, to put it another way:
Strategies provide direction.
Narratives determine whether people follow it.
If you would like to explore narratives, corporate culture, and effective change in more depth, listen to the full episode of Veränderungsstabil with Anne M. Schüller.
Listen to the podcast episode here
If you want to work on developing clear visions of the future and creating real momentum in your organization, let’s talk.
