The power of narrative: How storytelling drives business success

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PRIME Collective founder Shane Currey says effective business narratives align leadership messaging, brand strategy and organisational communication

In the corporate world, the difference between companies that thrive and those that merely survive often comes down to one critical element: narrative. Consider Apple, one of the world’s most recognisable brands. Apple doesn’t simply sell computers – it sells a story about creativity.

Its narrative positions products as tools that unlock creative potential, from the revolutionary 1984 Macintosh commercial to its “1000 songs in your pocket” iPod messaging. This unified creative narrative permeates everything from product design to marketing communications, transforming technical specifications into emotional benefits that customers connect with, according to Professor Barney Tan from the School of Information Systems and Technology Management at UNSW Business School.

In The Business Of, a podcast from UNSW Business School, he explained how Apple reinforced this narrative through its "Get a Mac" campaign, which personified its computers as young, casual, and creative against the older, formal PC character. The campaign depicted Mac as the natural choice for creative individuals. The power of this consistent narrative helped Apple transform from a computer manufacturer into a lifestyle brand that commands premium prices and exceptional customer loyalty. Even their retail spaces tell the creativity story through minimalist design that invites hands-on exploration and creative discovery, according to Prof. Tan, who said this deliberate narrative strategy enables Apple to maintain market leadership despite intense competition from devices with similar or superior technical specifications.

As a result, Shane Currey, founder of PRIME Collective Australia, explained that what appears as mere hardware becomes a gateway to creative expression through a deliberate narrative strategy. However, organisations without this kind of deliberate narrative strategy risk creating workplace silos, strategic misalignment, and unhealthy internal competition, said Mr Currey, who was recently interviewed by Dr Juliet Bourke, Professor of Practice in the School of Management and Governance at UNSW Business School for The Business Of.

Understanding the difference between narrative and story

As a designer, storyteller, facilitator and creative strategist, Mr Currey observed that many business leaders confuse narrative with storytelling. He draws a clear distinction between the two concepts: “The way I usually define the difference is a narrative has no beginning or end, it’s constantly evolving, and it’s usually about people, potential or participation,” Mr Currey explained. “And I think when you look at a narrative, it’s usually grounded in a single, unifying idea.”

Stories, on the other hand, have defined structures with beginnings, middles, and ends. They focus on actions and plots rather than overarching themes. Organisations need to recognise that while executives tell stories, these stories should be underpinned by a consistent narrative framework.

To illustrate this concept, Mr Currey referenced how countries develop national narratives. “You could take a country like the United States of America and you could say that they support a narrative around freedom. And then their stories are told that reinforce that, from people like Trump, Obama, Hollywood, they’re all producing stories that kind of reinforce this idea of freedom.” This demonstrates how powerful narratives work behind the scenes, providing coherence to seemingly disconnected stories.

In business settings, this distinction becomes critical when executives share different stories that may not connect to a unified theme. “When I walk into an organisation and see a room full of executives, I see a room of all different stories being told by each different executive. But is there a unifying idea that stitches the stories together?” The absence of this unifying narrative often leads to organisational confusion and misalignment.

Crafting effective business narratives

The development of a powerful narrative requires consideration of three fundamental elements: people, potential, and participation. Mr Currey recommends exploring these through specific lines of inquiry.

For people, leaders should identify the deeper human truth – the common ground that resonates with everyone involved. The potential aspect focuses on opportunity rather than fear. “The thing is, with narratives, you can base a narrative on a burning platform. They can be quite effective, but they’re not enduring, and history will tell you a narrative built on negativity and fear never lasts,” Mr Currey said.

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The participation component addresses what organisations ask people to do with the narrative. This element often gets overlooked in corporate communications, yet provides the crucial bridge between strategy and action.

Most executives can articulate their strategy, but fail to clarify how it translates to individual roles. “To the average person, what do you want me to do with that? What are you asking me to do?” Mr Currey emphasised. “That’s an incredibly important question to ask, which often just goes completely missed.”

Becoming an effective business storyteller

While narratives provide the framework, storytelling delivers the execution. According to Mr Currey, effective business storytellers understand their audience completely and adjust their approach accordingly.

He recommends specific techniques to enhance business storytelling. First, orientation helps the audience find a frame of reference. This step is vital because executives immerse themselves in their stories constantly, while audience members have their own priorities and need time to transition mentally.

Second, empathy builds connection. “Tell them what you think they’re thinking. Be an empathic storyteller. Start with them instead of starting with you,” Mr Currey advised. “I think you instantly get them on your side.”

Third, tension creates interest in business communications. Corporate culture often emphasises solutions while avoiding conflict or doubt, resulting in presentations that fail to engage. Mr Currey said the most compelling business communications acknowledge challenges and tensions while providing clear paths forward.

Three essential story architectures for business

Mr Currey identified three fundamental storytelling structures that serve different business purposes. The first structure, “the journey,” consists of six components: audience orientation, empathy, evidence presentation, tension acknowledgment, plan explanation, and a clear call to action. This versatile framework suits most business communication needs.

The second structure, “the dream,” begins with purpose and values, then addresses what needs to happen and how to achieve it. This approach resonates particularly well with audiences in sectors like healthcare, education, and government.

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The third structure, “the sceptic,” works effectively in competitive situations when facing resistant audiences. This approach starts by addressing something the audience genuinely cares about, presents novel information, and concludes by creating productive discomfort that raises the stakes. “If you don’t have anything new to share don’t go, because you will lose them,” Mr Currey warned.

Managing multiple narratives in complex organisations

Large organisations inevitably contain multiple narratives operating simultaneously across different departments and levels. Mr Currey refers to this phenomenon as “nesting narratives” and identifies it as a significant communication challenge.

When working with a major Australian bank, Mr Currey found approximately eight distinct narrative layers operating throughout the organisation. The complexity itself wasn’t the primary issue – the problem was the lack of explanation about how these narratives connected and reinforced each other.

Modern workplaces frequently contain paradoxical narratives. For example, one department might promote technological advancement while another emphasises human connection. Similarly, regulated industries like insurance must balance compliance requirements against the need for agility and innovation.

“You could look at a particular industry group like insurance, where you have a highly regulated business... and then you’ve got a business that’s being transformed by technology,” Mr Currey observed. “These are two very different narratives that are being crafted. These are in conflict in ways.”

Key takeaways for business leaders

The fundamental insight for executives is that narrative development cannot be left to chance. Without deliberate design and management, narratives will emerge organically – often in ways that undermine strategic objectives. “As humans, we think in narratives. It’s the way that we understand the world around us, especially in the workplace,” Mr Currey stated. “But if you don’t design your narrative, they will design it for you.”

Effective narrative strategy creates alignment throughout the organisation. As Mr Currey metaphorically explained, “Everyone’s got like an arrow on top of their head in some way, and I think what a narrative does is it just points the arrow in the similar direction. When you don’t have that deliberate kind of hold and intention behind the narrative, I think the arrows all go in different directions and that just slows performance down.”

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For business leaders seeking to implement stronger narrative strategies, the process begins with identifying the single unifying idea that should permeate all organisational communications. From there, develop stories that reinforce this idea while addressing the three key dimensions of people, potential, and participation.

When executed effectively, narrative becomes what Mr Currey calls a “weapon of mass alignment” – a powerful force that can unite diverse teams, clarify strategic direction, and ultimately drive sustainable business success.