| dc.description.abstract | This study examined the use of organisational storytelling during the implementation of the Organisation Culture Change Programme at Kenya Power. The research involved organisational ethnography which included immersion into the area of study for participatory observation for a period of three years (2009-2012). In-depth interviews were held with people who participated in the project to make sense of the recorded observations. The study found that storytelling had a positive effect on the outcome of the project because audiences reacted positively to storytelling through increased attentiveness, emotional connection with the storyteller and later, individual members told stories of their own that made others understand them better. Use of stories increased the trust levels between the storyteller and the audiences and this enhanced relationships as well as communication.
Despite those strengths of storytelling, the company did not fully use this competence strategically by leveraging the successful application of storytelling directly in the workplace as it had been demonstrated in the implementation of the change programme. Organisations can benefit more from storytelling by developing a storytelling strategy that transcends into real everyday communication at the workplace. In view of these findings, the study suggests that organisations should use storytelling strategically by making it a core competence for all leaders. The use of storytelling in organisations can be greatly enriched by creating programmes that impart storytelling skills to all leaders and managers so that they learn how to tell the right stories, at the right time and in the right way. For greater impact, the study strongly suggests that organisations should develop storytelling skills particularly for young people in the communities that the organisations operate in order to promote effective communication, trust, and sustainability. | en_US |
