Organizational Storytelling: Unlocking the Courage of Stories Inside Your People

Why the Best Culture Leaders Play Board Games, Not Chess

By Dr. Rod Berger | Storyteller in Residence | CultureCon

There's a game I used to play with troubled teenagers in clinical mental health settings that taught me more about organizational culture than any business school case study ever could. It wasn't chess, with its hierarchies and predetermined moves.

It wasn't even Jenga, though watching people carefully remove pieces while hoping the whole structure doesn't collapse feels remarkably similar to some change management initiatives I've witnessed.

It was Candy Land.

Yes, the Milton Bradley game from 1949, with its Gumdrop Mountains and Peppermint Forest. Here's what fascinated me: no matter how tough the exterior, no matter how many tattoos or how deep the scowl, teenagers in my care would reach for that simple, colorful board game more than any other.

Permission Structures and Organizational Silence

In The Narrative Edge, I explore what I call “permission structures”—the invisible barriers that determine whose stories are told and whose remain buried. These structures exist in every organization, often unexamined and unchallenged.

As children, we are shaped by the belief that others understand the laws of physics, the struggle between right and wrong, and which paths to avoid or pursue. We ask for permission to use the restroom, to have another piece of candy, and to sleep over at a friend's house. The progression of our childhood stories could be summarized as a series of permission sets that guide us along narrative guardrails.

Here's the uncomfortable truth for culture leaders: your employees are still operating within permission structures you may not even recognize. They're waiting to be told it's okay to share their ideas, concerns, and authentic selves.

The Orange Jersey Lesson

I worked with a young man I'll call Turner—a typical kid in the social services system who often found the merry-go-round of support services both perplexing and disappointing. He was defined by the oxygen he conserved by not speaking and the bright, crisp orange, fluorescent-like jerseys he wore seven days a week in support of his favorite college team.

Turner never said much. He didn't curse at authority figures, unlike many of the teenagers I worked with. He just... sat. That silence taught me something crucial about organizational culture: the quietest voices often have the most important stories to tell.

When I asked Turner's social worker what his teachers thought of him, she replied, "Oh, they love him... he never says a word... he just sits in the back of the class." They couldn't remember his name, but they knew his team.

How many Turners sit in your organization right now? How many bright orange jerseys do you walk past every day, mistaking silence for having nothing to say?

The Four Quadrants of Story Discovery

Through my work interviewing more than 4,000 people worldwide—from Pope Francis to NBA legends to refugee camp residents—I've developed a framework for uncovering the stories people carry but rarely share. I call it the Four Quadrants approach:

• Personal life: What shapes them outside of work?

• Professional experience: What have they learned through their career journey?

• Passions: What lights them up?

• Pursuits: What are they reaching toward?

When I interview someone, I evaluate every question through these four lenses. The magic happens at the intersections—where personal and professional overlap and where passions inform pursuits.

Culture leaders, consider these questions when thinking about your people:

• How can I unlock plotlines that align with my employees' abilities, desires, and passions?

• What role does a plot play in shaping behavior and responses as a "character" at home, work, and elsewhere?

• Are they aware that by excluding certain voices at the table, they are actually creating opposition to ideas they support?

Creating Brave Spaces for Organizational Storytelling

Over the years, one of my favorite interview subjects has been Aaron Rasmussen, the creative force behind MasterClass. His email domain is @theprotagonist—which tells you everything you need to know about how he sees the world. During our conversation, Aaron offered wisdom that every culture leader should tattoo on their consciousness:

“Treat everything as a first draft. You don't choose to be born. You show up, and it's handed to you. The trick is, you don't have to accept it. You can say thank you—I'll take it from here.”

This is the gift you can give your people: permission to treat their organizational story as a first draft. Permission to edit, to revise, to reimagine their contribution.

The Narrative Advantage

Professor Henrik von Scheel, who coined the term “4th Industrial Revolution,” shared a quote with me that has become a North Star for my work:

“The illiterate of the 21st Century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

The same applies to organizational storytelling. The cultures that will thrive aren't those with the most polished narratives—they're the ones brave enough to unlearn their old stories and relearn new ones with their people.

Turner taught me that Candy Land offered something chess never could: an alternative storyline while in the company of another. Freedom to associate thoughts, revise how to tell a story, and respond to questions posed on the gameboard of life.

Your organization needs fewer chess matches and more Candy Land moments—spaces where people can experiment with their stories without fear of being checkmated.

The courage to share our stories isn't innate. It's cultivated. For culture leaders, that cultivation is your most sacred responsibility.

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To learn more about Dr. Rod Berger or check out his new book, The Narrative Edge: Authentic Storytelling That Meets The Moment (Wiley), click here! If you’d like to bring Dr. Berger to your organization for a storytelling workshop or keynote, shoot him a note at rod@drrodberger.com.

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