Once Upon a Time There Was an Organization... Organizational Stories as an Anti-Thesis to Fairy-Tales

Abstract

Comparing and contrasting fairy-tales with organizational stories will reveal that the two have very few elements in common. Nevertheless, this paper will show how we can still learn a lot from the differences and even from the absolute contrast between these two types of stories. Basically, organizational stories are an anti-thesis of fairy-tales. Fairy-tales reside in the imagination realm, directed at child development, and rooted in spiritual origins. Organizational stories are physical, directed at managers, based on facts, and can be subject to criticism. Fairy tales were developed with the passing of generations. Organizational stories either happen in the present, or reflect the recent past. However, we can learn from both for the future, and there are certain comparable themes in both.

Keywords: organizational stories, narrative