Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to provide an example of a qualitative business consulting methodology using Storytelling Consulting (Boje, 2006) through Story Network Analysis (Boje, 2001). Although these two methodologies differ in many regards, this consulting project for Williams Demographics incorporated key components of both in order in operationalize a course of action for the business. As a very brief overview in story use in management research, Boje (2005) explains it best by writing:
The storytelling turn
in management research occurred over the last thirty years. It began by treating story in 1980s as static text, turned in 1990s to in situ dynamics of co producing stories, and in 2000s to systemic complexity of storytelling organization. There numerous ways to define storytelling each takes research in a different direction. (2005, p.1)
As a contribution to the emerging field, this short report will present an overview of a story consulting process. Due to the size and nature of Williams Demographics, I came to realize that this type of analysis will work quite well for practically any academic with private sector experience. Therefore, this short report is written to provide a blueprint to which entrepreneurs may apply to their own endeavors. Although I barely scratch the surface of the complexities and nuances of these methodologies, I will begin by situating this research in storytelling consulting and story network consulting.
Storytelling Consulting
In order to understand storytelling consulting, and indeed my goal in consulting Williams Demographics, it is necessary to identify key terminology and concepts used in the methodology. First, some definitions are in order. According to Boje (1991a) a story is an "an oral or written performance involving two or more people interpreting past or anticipated experience" (p. 111). In 2006, this definition of story was revised to include a performance of "…not only the polyphonic (many-voiced) story, but one dialogized with multi-stylistic expression, diverse chronotopicities, and the architectonics of interanimating societal discourses."(Boje, 2006, Glossary) Another important term is "storytelling organization", which to Boje (1991) is a "collective storytelling system in which the performance of stories is a key part of members' sense-making and a means to allow them to supplement individual memories with institutional memory" (Boje, 1991a: 106). Again, in 2006, this definition was altered substituting the word systemicity for system. The word substitution expanded the concept of a storytelling organization greatly. To Boje (2006), systemicity
is "…defined as the unmergedness and unfinalizability of storytelling organization systems, their incompleteness, multiplicity, dialogism, and heteroglossic dynamism. Systemicity is an improvement upon closed, open, and organic system writing, which presumes monologic, monovocality, and mono-languagedness." (p.6)
Building upon those terms, Williams Demographics, like any organization of people, is a storytelling organization driven by the accumulation of individual and collective stories, none of which are ever ending. An astute consultant recognizes the "unmergedness and unfinalizability" of the organization and, with the application of various methodologies, has the ability to provide structure.
An understanding of the levels of complexity of storytelling organizations are central to Boje's (2006) storytelling consulting methodology. There are nine levels of complexity in the storytelling organization model. As indicated in the figure of an inverted pyramid on the next page, the levels are cumulative. As the organization becomes more complex, it acquires the attributes of the previous levels. The goal of a consultant operating within this paradigm would be to recognize the systemic level of complexity in which the company is currently mired, and provide the evidence and rationale for the company to move up a level. Because Williams Demographics is such a small company, naturally it is not that complex, and, as such not all of the levels apply.
Table 1: (From Boje, 2006) Levels Of Complexity | Key Description |
FRAMEWORK | Mapping the types of narratives |
MECHANISTIC | Narratives about eras, summarizing everyday crisis points, but no biographical narration |
CONTROL | Observed narrative-scripts are compared to idealized narrative by a core of specialists noting deviations from the rules |
OPEN | Beginning of variety-making |
ORGANIC | Division of labor among mutually interdependent parts, each with highly specialized narrators, not doing much more than filtering environments for positive or negative narratives. |
IMAGE | Storying image of organization is differentiated from throughput processing of environmental narrative |
SYMBOL | Unique is self-consciousness achieved through self-reflexive storytelling |
NETWORK | Self-reflexive awareness of organization situated in network of societal discourses that proscribe roles |
TRANSCENDENTAL | The prior eight properties are in interrelationship, including the Polypi dialogism of dialogisms of polyphonic, stylistic, chronotopic, and architectonic dialogism. |
In Table 1, in general terms, I provide another look at the levels of complexity with a description of concepts best explaining the level. In consulting Williams Demographics, through the analysis of the owner's stories, website, published materials, and other articles portraying the company's image such as stationary, letter head, and business cards, I determined that the company was firmly situated in an organic level of complexity. Although the owner of the business has not been very aggressive in recruiting staff or obtaining new business the company relies on key individuals to perform specific and essential duties. Each individual, typically a subcontractor, is only vaguely aware of the purpose of the project and has no inherent loyalty to the perpetuation of the company. In that regard, this consulting project is geared towards moving Williams Demographics into the image level, and in time into the symbol level.
To appreciate a storytelling organization, the consultant must be familiar with the concept of dialogicality. According to Boje (2006), "Dialogicality is defined as different voices and ideas expressing a plurality of logics in different ways, but not usually in same place or time." (Boje, 2006, Glossary) Boje makes the distinction between dialogicality and dialog, by clarifying,
"…it is beyond the trope of people in the same (virtual) room doing problem solving, or have a focus group; nor is it some form of Habermasian rational consensus dialog, as dialog is diametrically opposed to dialogicality. Dialog is multi-voiced elucidation, but each voice is not full-fledged, nor is there a collision of points of view and logics, that died with Socratic Dialog." (Chapter 2, p.1)
This concept becomes important when understanding that the collective memory of the "storytelling organization is embedded in systemicity and dialogicality." (2006, Chapter 3) As more and more individuals become involved in the story of the organization, the collective memory becomes "fragmented". The fragmentation of collective memory is ultimately detrimental to the cohesion and shared identity of the company. In the case of Williams Demographics, the internal systemicity and dialogicality spanning over twenty years has created both confusion and stagnation.
In the process of organizing the stories and other data I collected from Williams Demographics, I began to notice that that the company lacked a definitive and consistent identity. Correcting this inadequacy became the primary goal of this project. In that regard, I employed an "epic story" methodology. To Boje (2006), epic story analysis considers "…the systemicity of story behaviors, in their emergent, on going in situ processes." (p.6) In other words, epic story consulting addresses "the entire storytelling organization in all its dialogisms." (2006, Syllabus)
Because of my opinion that Williams Demographics is conducting business in an organic level of complexity, I felt that the consulting project should focus on defining identity and solidifying image. To do this, I organized the material, which I will explain later in the paper, with particular attention given to the stylistic story strategies the company has employed in the twenty years it has been in business. According to Boje (2006) a stylistic strategy is "the manner of influencing and orchestrating diverse stylistic modes of expression, to control an image story that influences the public." (2006, Chapter 5) Similarly, but more encompassing, a stylistic dialogism includes "…all the modes of expressing story of a storytelling organization."(Chapter 5) Operating on the adage that a picture is worth a thousand words, employing stylistic strategies to analyze stylistic dialogisms is a holistic and comprehensive methodology. As Boje explains:
The oral, print media, websites, decor, gesture-theatrics, and architecture are modes of stylistic image story expression that answer one another's way of telling. Stylistic dialogism is not just what is strategically orchestrated in spinning story expressivity…stylistic dialogism includes the counter story, the juxtaposition of styles and their resistance…" (2006, Chapter 5, p.1)
As a brief example of a stylistic strategy and a dialogistic comparison, I present three images which speak volumes of the company they represent. The first image is the logo of Williams Demographics and the other two are images from the websites of competitors. Most notable is the use of symbols by both of these competitors to convey image. Whereas Williams Demographics is rather monolithic, the other two perpetuate either style and sophistication or attempt to evoke an emotional response such as trust. Including analysis of tangible representations such as these imagers during consulting is the primary strength of using a storytelling organization methodology. It is extremely important to recognize the "unmergedness and unfinalizability" of all symbolic representation.
In the case of consulting Williams Demographics, an understanding of the levels of complexity gave me a goal and a starting point. I first deduced that Williams Demographics was operating in the organic level and my goal was to move up into a higher level such as image or symbol. In order for me to perform the necessary data collection and analysis, however, it was necessary for me to use the tools and structure found in story network analysis.
Story Network Analysis
Once I determined the goal of the consulting project, I operationalized the methodology. To perform this analysis, I realized it should have both
synchronous and diachronous components. According to Boje (2006), "A synchronic approach looks at storytelling organization at a particular point in time, rather than over time. A diachronous approach looks at storytelling organization in historical development." (2006, Chapter 15, p.2) By considering the company in the present and how it evolved over time, I was able to see a more complete picture of how the current story came into being. With historical and current data available, I decided that an abductive approach would yield the best results. As Boje (1991) discusses, abduction is an inferential and intuitive guess. Boje (1991) cites Peirce (1955) who explains abductive theory:
At each stage of his long investigation, Kepler has a theory which is approximately true since it approximately satisfies the observations…and he proceeds to modify his theory, after the most careful and judicious reflection in such a way as to render it more rational or closer to the observed fact…Kepler shows his keen logical sense in detailing the whole process by which he finally arrived at the true orbit. This is the greatest Retroductive [abductive] reasoning ever performed.1955:155-6)
By utilizing an abductive methodology with both
synchronous and diachronous components, I was able to readily identify areas of the company that were in need of improvement. In addition, by organizing and collecting data within the framework of story network analysis, I was able to trace problems back to their historical roots and I was presented with a clear view of the path Williams Demographics could take to solidify identity and image.
Story network analysis is an antenarrative approach to consulting. According to Boje (2001), "Antenarrative is the fragmented, non-linear, incoherent, collective, unplotted and pre-narrative speculation, a bet." (2001, p.1) The concept of antenarrative is central to story network analysis. To Boje (2001), story network analysis can be described as follows:
Stories can become nodes or links in a narrative network analysis, mere architectural display. By contrast, in antenarrative analysis, the analyst traces the storytelling behavior in the organizing situation. The organization is seen as a storytelling system in which stories are the medium of exchange. Antenarrative focuses on the ground that moves not on the map and analytic portrayal. (Boje, 2001, p. 10)
Boje also explains that story network analysis as an antenarrative approach to business consulting has three applications. These applications are: (1) It seeks to understand the complex dynamics of storytelling among people across their social networks; (2) The intertextual aspects of the stories can be explored in relations to connective interchanges; and (3) A story network analysis can be the basis to set up a virtual complex of hyper-links to partially re-enact the interconnectivity of a story network. (Boje, 2001, p.62) All of these applications of story network analysis operationalize stories and other "stylistic dialogisms" into workable and emerging concepts and themes. Although it may be recommended to use a software programs such as NVivo for larger more complex consulting projects, in the case of consulting Williams Demographics, I found it useful to use a form of a story network map. Additionally, despite how eccentric it may sound, I used a large wall in my house to help clarify themes and categories.
Since I was employing abductive and both synchronous and diachronous consulting methodologies, I organized my themes in the fashion of a timeline. The categories emerged once I became more familiar with both the process and the company. As I am still working on the project, the categories are: Youth, Education, Publications, Past People, Previous Consulting, Similar Markets, Current Portrayal of Firm and Image, Competition/Emulation, Skills of Competition, and Restorying.
Boje (2001) identifies five types of story network maps, which are: Stories as links in network maps, stories as nodes in network maps, story to context network maps, story and time networking, and story and multi-dimensionality (Boje, 2001, p. 67-8) By having a large enough space, such as my wall, and by incorporating a time dimension to category placement, I was able to visually analyze the story network as it evolved of the years. Although I did not physically connect the relationships according to strength of association, which is recommended, (I could, however, use thumb tacks and string and recreate the wall using a software program such as CorelDraw) the use of the wall also allowed for enhanced view of the simplicity of the company and where it needed improvement. I also found this method particularly useful for brainstorming because of the availability of information.
It is necessary to point out the most obvious limitation of using a form of story mapping. As Boje writes, "story mapping (with some exceptions) are independent of contextualized meaning, variability in telling, and differences in what listeners hear being told even by the same teller. Temporality and spatiality is expressed in static, atemporal, and abstract landscape." (Boje, 2001, p. 6) It is my opinion that this limitation becomes nullified by incorporating components of the storytelling consulting methodology into the consulting process. A consideration of "polyphonic dialogisms" while mapping social networks provides much greater clarity of the "unmergedness and unfinalizability" of the individual company, such as Williams Demographics, but also of the competitors and the environment in general. This is the Tamara aspect referred to in much of Boje's work—the audience can never know the full story. Remembering this is utilizing the strength of this method. As Boje (2005) explains, "The focus is on pluralism of narrative-form, multiple ways of interpreting stories, and uncovering suppressed, marginalized, or hidden stories as a counter-narrative to the conventional storyline of a particular organization and its spokespersons." (Boje, 2005, p.3) The story network map provides the structure and the storytelling provides the paradigm.
Discussion
As I indicated previously in this report, the use of stories in consulting practices is a relatively new and emerging application. It is not without its limitations, and, because it is so unknown, it may be cost prohibitive and difficult to convince a client of its value and the power of transformation it may provide. Although I am primarily oriented to quantitative analysis and demographics, as a business consultant, storytelling, story network methodologies, and S.E.A.M., in my opinion, have the ability to provide the most detailed examination of the company. I would recommend any consultant to learn more about these applications.
Works cited
Boje, D. M. 1991. "The storytelling organization: A study of storytelling performance in an office supply firm." Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 36: pp.106-126.
Boje, D. M. 2001. Narrative Methods for Organizational and Communication Research. London: Sage
Boje, D. M. 2005a. Story in management research. Sage Dictionary, forthcoming.
Boje, D. M. 2005b. Antenarrative in management research. Sage Dictionary, forthcoming.
Boje, D. M. 2006. Storytelling Organization: Story Escapes Narrative Prison. London: Sage (forthcoming).
Boje, D.M. 2006. MGT690. Storytelling Consulting http://business.nmsu.edu/~dboje/690/.
Williams Demographics. 2006. williamsdemographics.com.
