Hi Dave,

For me, this is really a cornerstone post. Thanks.

could be worse: they might feed the anecdotes to http://www.jabberwacky.com/ , from the output create training slides shows using Powerpoint's AutoContent Wizard, store them in a content management system and give people continued education microunits for each and every slide they watch. And the top consumer wins an iPod.

Thanks Dave. I've written a short appreciation with a link to your piece.

You say, in remarkable language, something like I think I'd say myself.

Has this approach developed from the OS methods on your site for narrative capture/analysis, even story-crafting (fables).

In reading the methods and articles, I guess I didn't see the value/importance placed on complexity in attempting any capture/re-use or analysis. Maybe I haven't read all the right ones.

Is this a complementary approach with different goals - sense-making/re-use rather than cultural analysis/change, or another track altogether?

Thanks for the post Mark. The only story crafting method we have (Fable construction) is based on complexity, in that templates and the process of telling and retelling are used to create contextual stories. At no stage do we offer those as a recipe, ie the outcome can be influenced but not directed.

The "brambles in a thicket" article has some of the more academic theory behind the use of stories. The paper on pre-hypothesis research also illustrates some of the approaches to discovering anecdotes and allowing sense-making to take place by serendipitous encounter with that material.

Scenario planning and linear story telling do, in my opinion, have some value but not in the context of discovery, research and most knowledge sharing.

I agree with those two participants. It works. It achieves its goal: employees come up with a piece of text. It is very important for people who were never able to put two pages together. They feel they achieve something.

I agree with you, Dave, it is not KM and it is not creative, and it does not make any organizational change. Telling a story involves much more: people should have read in the past, employees should have enjoyed a piece of theater before, employees should have written something since they were kids. They should have learned to use their imagination, and they should be aware about their organization and think broad.

I, as CKO, am working very close to Communications Department. They walk around gathering stories, but at the same time, they teach people how to create stories. I have now a journalist who is taking an on-line course on KM; she is making a difference in the organization.

Manuel.

The reason for the confusion is simple: narrative and story-telling are terms often used interchangeable in every day usage.

I would like to suggest what you describe is nearer to the terminology and the practice of writing history.

Your narrative -- "the mass capture of anecdotal fragmented material" -- is similar to the historians initial assembly of primary source material, letters, diaries, official records, etc.

Your story-telling -- "construct a sequential account of history or a hypothesis about the future" -- are the written histories, based on interpreting what "emerges from the interaction of a reacher or questioner".

I can only suggest you attempt to shave thin slivers of meaning from almost synonmous terms because those terms are buzz words of the now and you want to use them.

Your descriptions of the concepts are useful, apt and interesting. The confusion I fell arises because you are attempting to reshape well-known terms to be what you want them to be.

Not so sure Nick. Narrative in common use is a broad term, while story telling means what it says "to tell a story". Work in narrative capture is therefore nothing to do with telling a story so I hardly see it as a thin sliver of meaning. Your history analogy is useful but it misses two key points on mass narrative capture (i) the people who create the raw material are the people wh index it for meaning and (ii) the interpretation is done not by assembling that material to be in a story.

I am afraid I do not take kindly to your last two paragraphs. This is a field which is danger of being trivialised from narrative (a borad field) to story telling (a narrow one). I am concerned about that and will continue to emphasize it. THis is, if anything anti buzz word. I do not think I am shaping well know terms ot my own purpose. However we are now at the stage where we need to avoid confusions. Story Telling and narrative is one such confusion

A great help in my report..
thanks!