Storytelling as a tool for internal communication: a proposed management model
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Published
20-12-2019
Kelly Robledo Dioses
Tomás Atarama Rojas
Alberto López-Hermida Russo
Abstract
This article studies the use of storytelling within companies and institutions as an effective tool for the management of internal communication, with which to create loyalty and generate engagement with employees. It starts with a theoretical revision about value of stories and analyzes the potential that its application has to effectively communicate corporate values and at the same time strengthen the corporate culture. Then, it presents the EMC2 story, a multinational considered by the Great Place to Work Institute as one of the best to workplace in the world. The hypothesis holds that storytelling can promote the development of employees by making them protagonists of a story that impulse them to grow up professional and personally, and also proposes the capacity of stories to generate employee identification with their institution. As methodology, the present investigation proposes a storytelling development model which aims to give the employee a significant role in corporate story. The proposed structure is applied to EMC2 case, a company also considered by DiversityInc in the top 50 of companies characterized by diversity. As a contribution to the construction of business story, it has identified the different elements that integrate it and will make it an excellent tool to link the employee in an inspiring and own project.
How to Cite
Robledo Dioses, K., Atarama Rojas, T., & López-Hermida Russo, A. (2019). Storytelling as a tool for internal communication: a proposed management model. Cuadernos De Gestión, 20(1), 137–154. https://doi.org/10.5295/cdg.170755kr
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Keywords
Internal communication, storytelling, employees, corporate values, EMC2
References
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Baker, B., 2014. Use storytelling to engage and align employees around your strategic plans. Industrial & Commercial Training, 46 (1), 25-28. DOI: 10.1108/ICT-10-2013-0065
Boje, D.M., 1991. Consulting and Change in the Storytelling Organisation. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 4 (3), 7-17. DOI: 10.1108/EUM0000000001193
Campbell, J., 2013. El héroe de las mil caras. Psicoanálisis del mito. México DF: Fondo de Cultura Económica.
Chen, K.K., 2016. “Plan your Burn, Burn your Plan”: How Decentralization, Storytelling, and Communification Can Support Participatory Practices. Sociological Quarterly, 57 (1), 71-97. DOI: 10.1111/tsq.12115
Corvellec, H., 2012. Narratives in and about organizations: an anthropology, a mode of enquiry and a leadership tool. in Service Studies, 2012 (16), 1-16. Disponible en: https://goo.gl/Oy5cKe
Delgado-Ballester, E. & Fernández-Sabiote, E., 2016. Once upon a brand’’: Storytelling practices by Spanish brands. Spanish Journal of Marketing - ESIC, 20 (2), 115-131. DOI: 10.1016/j.sjme.2016.06.001
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EMC, 2015. Transformation: The EMC Story. 2015 Diversity and Inclusion Annual Report. USA. Disponible en: https://goo.gl/SwnzbO
Fog, K. et al., 2010. Storytelling: branding in practice, Berlin, New York: Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-540-88349-4
García, E., 2009. Aportaciones de la gestión emocional a la comunicación interna. En: Carretón-Ballester, C., dir. & Ramos-Soler, I., coord. Las relaciones públicas en la gestión de la comunicación interna. Alicante: Asociación de Investigadores en RelacionesPúblicas, 97-106. Disponible en: https://goo.gl/wq13Hn
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Gill, R., 2009. Building Employee Engagement and Reputation through Storytelling. En Communication, creativity and global citizenship: Refereed Proceedings of the Australian and New Zealand Communication Association Conference. Brisbane: Australian and New Zealand Communication Association (ANZCA), 1057-1075. Disponible en: https://bit.ly/3326IeF
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Gill, R., 2014. Why the PR strategy of storytelling improves employee engagement and adds value to CSR: An integrated literature review. Public Relations Review, 41 (5), 662-674. DOI: 10.1016/j.pubrev.2014.02.012
Granitz, N. & Forman, H., 2015. Building self-brand connections: Exploring brand stories through a transmedia perspective. Journal of Brand Management, 22, 38-59. DOI: 10.1057/bm.2015.1
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Hengeveld, M., 2016. Employees telling your story. The effects of employee testimonials and pictures in storytelling on several brand concepts. Tesis, (Mgtr). University of Twente. Disponible en: https://goo.gl/gxtY5J
La Torre, G. & Atarama, T., 2014. La justicia como estrategia de comunicación interna para la fidelización del talento: aportes del Derecho de la Comunicación a las organizaciones. Derecom, (17), 1-13. Disponible en: https://bit.ly/2ZoZwqO
López-Hermida, A.P. & Ibieta, N., 2013. Nuevas narrativas en Comunicación de Salud: El storytelling y la conquista emocional del paciente. Disertaciones: Anuario electrónico de estudios en Comunicación Social, 6 (2), 47-71. Disponible en: https://goo.gl/oDhsXs
López-Hermida, A. & Vargas, J., 2013. La política relatada: el Storytelling de Barack Obama en el marco de la Operación Gerónimo. Palabra Clave, 16 (1), 12-44. DOI: 10.5294/pacla.2013.16.1.1
Marfil-Carmona, R., Villalonga, C. & Hergueta, E., 2015. El factor relacional como elemento estratégico en la comunicación publicitaria. Anàlisi, (52), 33-46. DOI: 10.7238/a.v0i52.2392
McKee, R., 2008. El guión: sustancia, estructura, estilo y principios de la escritura de guiones. Barcelona: Alba.
Mendonca, V., 2015. Application of storytelling in organizations: A review of latest literature with implications for India. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 8 (6), 17-25. DOI: 10.17010/pijom/2015/v8i6/70730
Núñez, A., 2009. Comunicar y motivar mediante storytelling. Revista de Comunicación, (9), 30-33. Disponible en: https://goo.gl/dw8s1Q
Núñez, A., 2007. Será mejor que lo cuentes. Los relatos como herramientas de comunicación Storytelling. Barcelona: Empresa Activa.
Pérez, E., 2013. Storytelling para construir contenidos educativos. Dos casos de éxito. En XIV Encuentro Internacional Virtual Educa Colombia 2013. Medellín: Ministerio de Educación Nacional de Colombia, Organización de los Estados Americanos y Virtual Educa.
Sadowsky, J. & Roche, L., 2013. Las siete reglas del storytelling. Buenos Aires: Ediciones Granica.
Salmon, C., 2011. La estrategia de Sherezade: apostillas a storytelling, Barcelona: Península.
Salmon, C., 2014. Storytelling: la máquina de fabricar historias y formatear las mentes. Barcelona: Península.
Sánchez-Bayón, A., López, M. & Lucia, A., 2014. Formación en valores, destrezas y competencias vía “Story-telling.”. En: Sánchez-Bayón, A., coord. Innovación docente en los nuevos estudios universitarios. Valencia: Tirant Humanidades, 217-232.
Scharf, E., Vieira, F., De Sousa, R., & Russi, E., 2017. Corporate brand building from the corporate stories perspective: a Brazilian football teams study. Cadernos EBAPE.BR, 15 (1), 101-114. DOI: 10.1590/1679-395151090
Vizcaíno, P., 2017. Del storytelling al storytelling publicitario: el papel de las marcas como contadoras de historias. Tesis, (Dr). Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Disponible en: https://goo.gl/d3j9WD
Yarlequé, A. & Atarama, T., 2014. La comunicación en la empresa como estrategia para el desarrollo del talento humano. Revista Ecos de la Comunicación, (7). Disponible en: https://goo.gl/bgGWob
Araujo, T. & Kollat, J., 2018. Communicating effectively about CSR on Twitter: The power of engaging strategies and storytelling elements. Internet Research, 28 (2), 419-431. DOI: 10.1108/IntR-04-2017-0172
Baker, B., 2014. Use storytelling to engage and align employees around your strategic plans. Industrial & Commercial Training, 46 (1), 25-28. DOI: 10.1108/ICT-10-2013-0065
Boje, D.M., 1991. Consulting and Change in the Storytelling Organisation. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 4 (3), 7-17. DOI: 10.1108/EUM0000000001193
Campbell, J., 2013. El héroe de las mil caras. Psicoanálisis del mito. México DF: Fondo de Cultura Económica.
Chen, K.K., 2016. “Plan your Burn, Burn your Plan”: How Decentralization, Storytelling, and Communification Can Support Participatory Practices. Sociological Quarterly, 57 (1), 71-97. DOI: 10.1111/tsq.12115
Corvellec, H., 2012. Narratives in and about organizations: an anthropology, a mode of enquiry and a leadership tool. in Service Studies, 2012 (16), 1-16. Disponible en: https://goo.gl/Oy5cKe
Delgado-Ballester, E. & Fernández-Sabiote, E., 2016. Once upon a brand’’: Storytelling practices by Spanish brands. Spanish Journal of Marketing - ESIC, 20 (2), 115-131. DOI: 10.1016/j.sjme.2016.06.001
Dowling, G.R., 2006. Communicating corporate reputation through stories. California Management Review, 49 (1), 82-100.
EMC, 2015. Transformation: The EMC Story. 2015 Diversity and Inclusion Annual Report. USA. Disponible en: https://goo.gl/SwnzbO
Fog, K. et al., 2010. Storytelling: branding in practice, Berlin, New York: Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-540-88349-4
García, E., 2009. Aportaciones de la gestión emocional a la comunicación interna. En: Carretón-Ballester, C., dir. & Ramos-Soler, I., coord. Las relaciones públicas en la gestión de la comunicación interna. Alicante: Asociación de Investigadores en RelacionesPúblicas, 97-106. Disponible en: https://goo.gl/wq13Hn
Gill, R., 2011a. An integrative review of storytelling: Using corporate stories to strengthen employee engagement and internal and external reputation. PRism, 8 (1), 1-16. Disponible en: https://goo.gl/38Qmlv
Gill, R., 2009. Building Employee Engagement and Reputation through Storytelling. En Communication, creativity and global citizenship: Refereed Proceedings of the Australian and New Zealand Communication Association Conference. Brisbane: Australian and New Zealand Communication Association (ANZCA), 1057-1075. Disponible en: https://bit.ly/3326IeF
Gill, R., 2011b. Using Storytelling to Maintain Employee Loyalty during Change. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 2 (15), 23-32. Disponible en: https://goo.gl/108juD
Gill, R., 2014. Why the PR strategy of storytelling improves employee engagement and adds value to CSR: An integrated literature review. Public Relations Review, 41 (5), 662-674. DOI: 10.1016/j.pubrev.2014.02.012
Granitz, N. & Forman, H., 2015. Building self-brand connections: Exploring brand stories through a transmedia perspective. Journal of Brand Management, 22, 38-59. DOI: 10.1057/bm.2015.1
Gutiérrez-Rubí, A., 2009. Micropolítica: Ideas para cambiar la comunicación política. Disponible en: https://goo.gl/pid5xu
Harrison, K., 2011. Strategic public relations: a practical guide to succes. 5ª ed. Melbourne: Palgrave.
Hengeveld, M., 2016. Employees telling your story. The effects of employee testimonials and pictures in storytelling on several brand concepts. Tesis, (Mgtr). University of Twente. Disponible en: https://goo.gl/gxtY5J
La Torre, G. & Atarama, T., 2014. La justicia como estrategia de comunicación interna para la fidelización del talento: aportes del Derecho de la Comunicación a las organizaciones. Derecom, (17), 1-13. Disponible en: https://bit.ly/2ZoZwqO
López-Hermida, A.P. & Ibieta, N., 2013. Nuevas narrativas en Comunicación de Salud: El storytelling y la conquista emocional del paciente. Disertaciones: Anuario electrónico de estudios en Comunicación Social, 6 (2), 47-71. Disponible en: https://goo.gl/oDhsXs
López-Hermida, A. & Vargas, J., 2013. La política relatada: el Storytelling de Barack Obama en el marco de la Operación Gerónimo. Palabra Clave, 16 (1), 12-44. DOI: 10.5294/pacla.2013.16.1.1
Marfil-Carmona, R., Villalonga, C. & Hergueta, E., 2015. El factor relacional como elemento estratégico en la comunicación publicitaria. Anàlisi, (52), 33-46. DOI: 10.7238/a.v0i52.2392
McKee, R., 2008. El guión: sustancia, estructura, estilo y principios de la escritura de guiones. Barcelona: Alba.
Mendonca, V., 2015. Application of storytelling in organizations: A review of latest literature with implications for India. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 8 (6), 17-25. DOI: 10.17010/pijom/2015/v8i6/70730
Núñez, A., 2009. Comunicar y motivar mediante storytelling. Revista de Comunicación, (9), 30-33. Disponible en: https://goo.gl/dw8s1Q
Núñez, A., 2007. Será mejor que lo cuentes. Los relatos como herramientas de comunicación Storytelling. Barcelona: Empresa Activa.
Pérez, E., 2013. Storytelling para construir contenidos educativos. Dos casos de éxito. En XIV Encuentro Internacional Virtual Educa Colombia 2013. Medellín: Ministerio de Educación Nacional de Colombia, Organización de los Estados Americanos y Virtual Educa.
Sadowsky, J. & Roche, L., 2013. Las siete reglas del storytelling. Buenos Aires: Ediciones Granica.
Salmon, C., 2011. La estrategia de Sherezade: apostillas a storytelling, Barcelona: Península.
Salmon, C., 2014. Storytelling: la máquina de fabricar historias y formatear las mentes. Barcelona: Península.
Sánchez-Bayón, A., López, M. & Lucia, A., 2014. Formación en valores, destrezas y competencias vía “Story-telling.”. En: Sánchez-Bayón, A., coord. Innovación docente en los nuevos estudios universitarios. Valencia: Tirant Humanidades, 217-232.
Scharf, E., Vieira, F., De Sousa, R., & Russi, E., 2017. Corporate brand building from the corporate stories perspective: a Brazilian football teams study. Cadernos EBAPE.BR, 15 (1), 101-114. DOI: 10.1590/1679-395151090
Vizcaíno, P., 2017. Del storytelling al storytelling publicitario: el papel de las marcas como contadoras de historias. Tesis, (Dr). Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Disponible en: https://goo.gl/d3j9WD
Yarlequé, A. & Atarama, T., 2014. La comunicación en la empresa como estrategia para el desarrollo del talento humano. Revista Ecos de la Comunicación, (7). Disponible en: https://goo.gl/bgGWob
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