ABSTRACT
Storytelling and narrative have grown into the gaps left by more established organisational development (OD) methodologies. This chapter examines the place of storytelling in OD in health and social care and primarily explores ways of working with staff. It presents a series of vignettes in boxes in the text to bring the ideas back to the practical human level at regular intervals. The explicit use of narrative and storytelling has been adopted widely by those committed to 'learning organisations'. Emergent narrative is a much more iterative process, essentially a conversation that pays equal attention to formal and informal and rational and emotional aspects of organisational life. The Education and Training Corporation of a national island government embarked on a plan for radical structural and cultural change as a result of the need to become much more responsive to clients. Storytelling and narrative approaches typically contribute to and augment wider OD initiatives.
