MODULE SPECIFICATION

KEY FACTS

Module name Storytelling in Business

Module code SMM143
School Bayes Business School
Department or equivalent Specialist Masters Programme
UK credits 10
ECTS 5
Level 7

MODULE SUMMARY

Module outline and aims

Storytelling has been with us for as long as the existence of humans but it is only
more recently that its practical merits have sparked interest from academics and
practitioners around the globe. For some time psychologists and neuroscientists
have been fascinated by the human fondness for storytelling. More recently,
business academia has turned its attention to the subject, leading to published
research by a number of business schools on the topic. These research papers
confirm the effectiveness of storytelling as a powerful tool in various business
disciplines, including leadership, change management, marketing and corporate
communications. Beyond published research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) has developed a knowledge management tool based on storytelling
techniques, and Lincoln Business School has run a storytelling conference.

The purpose of this elective is to explore, demonstrate and explain the storytelling
techniques used by successful companies and executives such as the late Steve
Jobs to influence internal and external audiences. Contemporary managers need
these skills for diverse business situations, including addressing company meetings,
advertising their business, corporate presentations, brand management, strategic
planning and sales presentations. Attendees will be shown that successful
corporations such as 3M, Xerox, IBM, NASA, Intel and Apple actively use storytelling
techniques to explore and communicate complex management issues. Microsoft has
its own story-telling department and a dedicated Director of Storytelling. 3M replaced
its traditional business-planning process with one focused on story telling, and Oracle
has adopted a programme to enhance its sales process through creating engaging
product stories known as “story-selling”. With a focus on using storytelling as a
business tool, this elective will give an overview of different theories of storytelling in
a business environment. You will be introduced to practical frameworks and toolkits
that can be applied in organisations to enhance communication across business
disciplines.

By the end of the elective you will be able to apply their theoretical knowledge to a
corporate and entrepreneurial environment using storytelling as an effective business
tool.
Content outline
THEORY
• The importance of storytelling for business
• Story structure and the elements of a good story
• Storytelling tools of successful managers
• Storytelling in a business context: Examples of Apple, Nike, Lego and many
others
• The 4 stories each manager need to know about themselves
• The 5 business stories
• How successful corporations apply storytelling and how it has improved their
business
• Case studies including: storytelling as a strategic planning tool at 3M;
storytelling as a knowledge management tool at P&G; storytelling as a sales
tool at Oracle; the 2012 London Olympics bid
PRACTICE
• Using a storytelling toolkit
• The concept of ‘Pyramid Thinking’ and how to structure a good story
• How to use storytelling in a business context: presentations, sales pitches,
knowledge management and corporate communications
• The start-up story: Building a comprehensive story for building a company
• Break-out sessions
• Plenary sessions
• Storytelling in practice featuring outside speakers including a speaker from a
magic circle law firm talking about his in-house sales training using
storytelling tools and a venture capitalist explaining the importance of
storytelling to investment pitches

WHAT WILL I BE EXPECTED TO ACHIEVE?

On completion of this module, students will be expected to be able to:

Knowledge and understanding:

• Demonstrate an appreciation of the different theories of storytelling in business

• Articulate their knowledge of pyramid thinking and other tools on how to create
and structure stories to demonstrate that storytelling is not an art but can be
applied as a modern business tool
• Analyse tools and frameworks that can help with the design and implementation
of storytelling
• Demonstrate knowledge of the four stories each company has to have in their
repertoire
• Demonstrate an understanding of the issues involved in building stories and
using them in a corporate environment
Skills:

• A practical grasp of tools and frameworks that help to design and implement
storytelling
• Analyse stories and improve corporate stories for strategic and operational
benefits
• Engage your audience with a good story
• Design and improve a brand image and product development with the help of
stories
• Link an understanding of the different corporate stories and the strategic direction
they imply
• Use storytelling as a proven way to pass on insights, experiences and lessons
learned
• Use storytelling as a tool to aid strategic planning and scenario analysis
processes
• Design stories that sell products and business proposals
• Use stories as a leadership tool
• Link thinking to action

Values and attitudes:

• Show how delivering the right stories externally and internally can give
companies competitive advantages over competitors
• Demonstrate how good storytelling skills can enhance and improve the career of
modern managers
• Show how stories create a pull (people will make their own decision), are more
memorable than facts and can go viral if told well
• Show how storytelling enables managers to share critical lessons within an
organisation
• Understand the ethical questions involved in giving narrative accounts.

HOW WILL I LEARN?

Teaching pattern: This module will be taught primarily through lectures, discussions
and case studies.

Teaching Teaching Contact Self-directed Placement Total

component type hours study hours hours student
(scheduled) (independent) learning
hours
Lecture / Lecture 18 82 0 100
discussion /
case

Totals: 18 82 0 100
WHAT TYPES OF ASSESSMENT AND FEEDBACK CAN I EXPECT?

Assessments

This module will be assessed by 65% coursework comprising a written assignment in

pairs of two and 35% class participation including giving story presentations

Assessment pattern:

Assessment Assessment Weighting Minimum Pass/Fail?

component type qualifying
mark
Presentations Oral 35 0 N
assessment
and
presentations
Coursework Written 65 0 N
Assignment in pairs assignment
identify and critically including
review different essay.
types of stories used
by assorted public
corporations (2000-
2500 words)

Assessment criteria

Standard MSc Grade Related Assessment Criteria will apply.

Assessment Criteria are descriptions of the skills, knowledge or attributes students

need to demonstrate in order to complete an assessment successfully and Grade-
Related Criteria are descriptions of the skills, knowledge or attributes students need
to demonstrate to achieve a certain grade or mark in an assessment. Assessment
Criteria and Grade-Related Criteria for module assessments will be made available
to students prior to an assessment taking place. More information will be available
from the module leader.

Feedback on assessment

Following an assessment, students will be given their marks and feedback in line with
the Assessment Regulations and Policy. More information on the timing and type of
feedback that will be provided for each assessment will be available from the module
leader.
Assessment Regulations

The Pass mark for the module is 50%. Any minimum qualifying marks for specific
assessments are listed in the table above. The weighting of the different
components can also be found above. The Programme Specification contains
information on what happens if you fail an assessment component or the module.

INDICATIVE READING LIST

The Hero Inside, Nicolai Schümann, Universal Storyteller Publishing, 2020, ISBN-13
: 978-1838316891

The Story Factor: Inspiration, Influence, and Persuasion through the Art of
Storytelling, Annette Simmons, 2001, 2nd revised edition 2006, Basic Books

The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell, 1949, 3rd edition, 2012, New
World Library

Made to Stick: Why some ideas take hold and others come unstuck, Dan Heath &
Chip Heath, 1st edition, 2008, Arrow

Storytelling – Branding in Practice, Klaus Fog, 1st edition, 2010, Springer

Strategic Stories: How 3M Is Rewriting Business Planning, Gordon Shaw, Robert

Brown, and Philip Bromiley, Harvard Business Review, May-June, 1998, Reprint
number 98310

Winning the Story Wars: Why Those Who Tell and Live the Best Stories Will Rule the
Future, Jonah Sachs, 1st edition, 2012, Harvard Business Review Press

Corporate Storytelling as an Effective Internal Public Relations Strategy, Rob Gill,

International Business & Management, 2011, Vol. 3 Issue 1, p17-25, 9p

Some more academic articles and case studies on storytelling in business

Version 3.0
Version date: January 2021
For use from: 2021/22
CODES

HESA Code Description Price Group

133 Business and D
Management Studies

JACS Code Description Percentage (%)

N200 The study of managing 100
organisations.

HeCoS Description Percentage (%)

100075 Marketing 100%