Storytelling for Human Sensitivity, Compassion and Connection in Corporate Sustainability

Abstract

How can storytelling about past organizational challenges enhance the human values of sensitivity, compassion and connection for current and future management of sustainability? The answer for corporations lays in the morals derived from storytelling. While science, well applied, fits the snapshot kind of knowledge, storytelling, done with prowess, represents the relational kind of knowledge. The chapter synthesizes a new conceptual framework for interpreting story data through the ethnographic lenses of culture, creativity and place. An original matrix of storytelling morals combines with dimensional analysis of economic, social and environmental sustainability creating a constructive understanding of the experiences. The stories draw from a deep well of anthologies about people with exemplary experience and leadership quality distilling into wisdom for immediate reflection and future learning in the context of sustainability. Findings are to beware of potential age discrimination limiting access to important stories. The academy of management scholars should encourage further ethnographic and constructivist research into storytelling to augment accepted science around climate change. Extant (surviving) human knowledge of storytelling may assist with richer communication to all cultures across the globe to mitigate the sustainability problems. Policymakers should continue to ensure funding and regulations supporting experienced elders and leaders to keep expressing storytelling wisdom.