Is storytelling the “sixth discipline?”

Denning, S. (2005). The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

As a knowledge management leader at the World Bank, Denning gained influence by gathering and using the organization’s success stories. He went on to study the historical and anthropological roots of storytelling and he joined a storyteller group. The result is a scholarly analysis of the use of storytelling in organizational communication. He suggests that  storytelling may fit Senge’s definition of another “discipline.”

Denning’s is a practical guide for selecting and performing stories and using them in specific strategic instances. Of course, he uses anecdotes to illustrate his points.

Denning deconstructs the elements of well-told story. One detailed chapter is devoted to the elements of practicing and performing the story. The second half of the book describes several instances in which stories can be used strategically: to build trust, to convey values, to impart knowledge, and to encourage collaboration, for example.