A narrative approach to exploring values in organisations

Abstract

Values are often part of tacit and taken-for-granted knowledge in organisations. As such, investigating values as part of organisations and their members' work on values can be difficult. In this chapter, we suggest a narrative approach to exploring values and values work. A narrative approach can be used to gain in-depth information on organisational activities, identity, sense-making and change. The analytical approaches of narrative research are not standardised and are instead dependent on the narratives involved and the content, aim and structure of the narratives. An organisational study is provided as an illustrative case to identify sacred stories as a form of values work manifested in creative acts of storytelling in everyday practice.