The question of how organisation leaders can successfully guide people through times ofsignificant change, and thus transform organisations to operate successfully in a changedenvironment, has many potential responses. This thesis examines one possible response,namely storytelling, as a potentially useful management tool in the conditions introducedby organisational change. In particular, the reported success of Stephen Denning’s use ofso-called springboard stories is subjected to an analysis from the point of view ofsensemaking theory as proposed by Karl Weick, using the seven properties ofsensemaking as a basis of the analysis.Chapter 1 introduces the sensemaking theory of Karl Weick, a theory which explains theprocess people engage when they attempt to manage complexity in their world. Inparticular, this chapter examines the seven properties of sensemaking, as identified byWeick as inherent in the process. Accepting the proposition that organisationalcomplexity is responded to at an individual level, this chapter examines the properties atboth that level, as well as in the specific context introduced by organisations. In addition,the implications of the seven properties for organisational leadership are considered,particularly during times of significant organisational change.Stephen Denning’s reported experiences with the use of storytelling duringtransformation in the World Bank are examined in chapter 2. Denning has becomerenowned in the field of storytelling, since his development and use of springboard storiesspecifically as a means of igniting action during organisational change. In addition totheir specific purpose, all springboard stories have unique defining characteristics,relating to structure, format, content, style, length and timing. Each is examined in somedetail, along with other contributing factors such as context, plausibility and relationshipsbetween the storyteller and listeners. Both successful and unsuccessful uses ofspringboard stories are considered, to obtain an understanding of the experienced effect ofthe explicitly noted characteristics of the stories and the storytelling encounter, as well asof implied characteristics, during significant organisational change.In chapter 3 the insight into sensemaking theory in chapter 1 forms the basis of aninterpretation of the finding of the storytelling examination in chapter 2. The experiencesare considered from the perspective of the process people go through in order to makesense of complexity and interruptions in their ordered world. The interpretation attemptsto identify the relationship, if any, between the effects of the use of springboard stories as applied during change and the properties of the sensemaking process that will take placein individuals attempting to deal with the change.The thesis concludes that storytelling, as proposed by Stephen Denning, facilitatessensemaking during times of organisational change. In doing so, storytelling enables theselection of new identities and the related implementation of actions suited to the changedenvironment. The impact of this conclusion on the use of traditional approaches tocommunicate change is considered, particularly as it relates to leadership attempts toguide people through change, and the change in leadership focus required to realise thebenefits inherent in the use of storytelling.
