Once upon a time there was an organization: organizational stories as antitheses to fairy tales

Citation

(2009), "Once upon a time there was an organization: organizational stories as antitheses to fairy tales", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 17 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/hrmid.2009.04417ead.003

Once upon a time there was an organization: organizational stories as antitheses to fairy tales

Article Type: Abstracts From: Human Resource Management International Digest, Volume 17, Issue 5

Baruch Y. Journal of Management Inquiry (USA), March 2009, Vol. 18 No. 1, Start page: 15, No. of pages: 11

Purpose – To compare and contrast the characteristics of fairy tales and organizational stories. Design/methodology/approach – The account is rooted in a comprehensive review of the literature of storytelling in organizations as a method for understanding the ways in which organizations operate and the interactions between the people involved in the story. Follows certain issues and aspects that characterize both fairy tales and organizational stories, starting with their nature and purpose, where the fundamental differences are aired, continuing with the source, the perspective of the originator and the teller, and ending with a clarification of the context and boundaries of each type of story or narrative. Studies the structure and the notion of the meaning of what is being told (realism/imagination, logic/dream) then covers managerial issues, in particular those of power use and abuse, leadership, individual and team processes, and ethics. Ends with an attempt to comprehend the reasons for the differences and discuss the overall idea, with specific attention to the practical and managerial implications. Findings – The discussion indicated that, in general, organizational stories are antitheses of fairy tales since organizational stories lack the enchantment, invention, and closure of fairy tales but, when seen from a functional point-of-view, their aim is different and by adopting a different perspective it may be seen that there are cases when organizational stories resemble fairy tales to a certain extent, when some similarity exists. Originality/value – Points out what lessons may be learned from the differences and similarities between fairy tales and organizational stories and identifies managerial implications that emerge from such an analysis. ISSN: 1056-4926 Reference: 38AF913

Keywords: Organizational behaviour, Organizations, Storytelling