Organisational Narratives and Organisational Structure

Abstract

Organisational narratives as contributing to organisational structure are discussed. The trend lines of narratives introduce the ascent, decline and plateau narratives as reflections of organisational direction. The plateau narrative is used to emphasise the value in supporting the values of flat structures. Plateau narratives are more difficult to grasp because there are more players and more actions that potentially merit recognition by the organisation′s culture. Four suggested dimensions of plateau narratives are offered for change agents to identify. They are: stories of rotating leadership, stories of individuals doing any action that helps the group towards the goal, stories celebrating conscious levelling, and stories of power shifts from turf to large goals.

Citation

Davis Browning, L. (1991), "Organisational Narratives and Organisational Structure", Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 4 No. 3, pp. 59-67. https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000001199