Transcript Why Storytelling Helps Develop Personal Development Goals

BAM2013 Conference
Managing to Make a Difference
10th - 12th September 2013 - Liverpool, UK
Why Storytelling Helps Develop
Personal Development Goals in
Cross-Cultural Environments
Dr Peter Sharp
Regent’s University London
[email protected]
0207 487 7725
Dr Ursula Schinzel
United Business Institutes UBI
00352.621.322.543
[email protected]
www.ursula-schinzel.com
BAM Liverpool Dr Peter Sharp, Dr Ursula Schinzel
10-12 September 2013
1
Outline of Presentation






Introduction
Research Focus
Literature Review
Methodology
Presentation of Primary Data
(Quantitative and Qualitative)
Discussion and Conclusion
BAM Liverpool Dr Peter Sharp, Dr Ursula Schinzel
10-12 September 2013
2
Introduction
World in recession but at same time
huge numbers finding new work
(Bolles 2011)
Understanding ourselves and
devising suitable personal
development plans is critical for
people from all nations.
BAM Liverpool Dr Peter Sharp, Dr Ursula Schinzel
10-12 September 2013
3
Introduction (ctd)
Previous research shows that
storytelling helps devise suitable
personal development plans (PDP)
(e.g. Sharp 2011)
This research focuses on a question
that takes this research further
BAM Liverpool Dr Peter Sharp, Dr Ursula Schinzel
10-12 September 2013
4
Research Focus
Why does Storytelling Help
Develop Personal Development
Goals in Cross-Cultural
Environments?
BAM Liverpool Dr Peter Sharp, Dr Ursula Schinzel
10-12 September 2013
5
Literature Review The LIFE Technique
Figure 1 Four Stages of the LIFE Technique
(developed from Sharp 2011)
Uneven edge indicates
subjective nature of this
process for participants
Stage 1 Tell
Personal Story
Stage 2 Prioritise
Skills
Stage 3 Create
Flower Profile
Stage 4 Draft
Profile Statement
Uneven lines indicate
written work and
revision done by
participants
BAM Liverpool Dr Peter Sharp, Dr Ursula Schinzel
10-12 September 2013
6
Literature Review: focus
BAM Liverpool Dr Peter Sharp, Dr Ursula Schinzel
10-12 September 2013
7
Literature Review:
Storytelling in Organisations

Wide range of uses in and outside
organisations including
communicating complex ideas,
problem-solving, decision-making,
planning, stating organisation
norms, values and culture (e.g.
Boyce 1996, Gill 2001, Denning 2002,
Boje 2008) and developing personal
profiles (e.g. Sharp 2011)
BAM Liverpool Dr Peter Sharp, Dr Ursula Schinzel
10-12 September 2013
8
Personal Planning Profiling
Techniques using Storytelling
Lifetime?
5 hours
Time to
Conduct
Technique
CPD / personal coaching
(e.g. Eales-White 2002)
Personal
Storytelling
(Clare 2003)
Career Counselling
(e.g. Baruch 1999)
Career Development
Workshops (e.g. Stevens 1996)
LIFE (Sharp 2011)
20 mins
STAR stories
(Salpeter 2008)
Individual’s
Viewpoint
BAM Liverpool Dr Peter Sharp, Dr Ursula Schinzel
Organisation’s
Needs
10-12 September 2013
Storytelling and Cross-Cultural
Environments



Culture: collective programming of the
mind…through influence of family,
neighbourhood, school, youth groups,
workplace and living community
(Hofstede et al. 2010)
Wide variety of issues / theory relating
to culture that impact human resource
management
Storytelling may be one way to address some
of these challenges in the area of personal
development planning
BAM Liverpool Dr Peter Sharp, Dr Ursula Schinzel
10-12 September 2013
10
Why Storytelling may Help
address challenges regarding
culture and PDP in Organisations
Solve problems and foster
ambitions (Denning 2000)
Marketing, persuade,
motivate and inspire
(Salmon 2007)
Personal impact and
remembered (Sharp 2011)
Communicating quickly
(e.g. Denning 2001)
BAM Liverpool Dr Peter Sharp, Dr Ursula Schinzel
Inspire innovation
and job satisfaction
(Denning 2010)
Sharing ideas / values / help learn
(Kahumba 2012; Davidson 2004)
Can generate commitment
(Hansen and Kahnweiler 1993)
Share complex meaning, engage
emotions, capture tacit knowledge
(Scholz 2003; James and Minnis
2004; Snowden 2000a)
10-12 September 2013
11
Methodology
• LIFE technique implemented
• 5 workshops with international
postgraduate students over 3 years
• Each workshop included more than
10 participants
• Total 112 participants from over 17
nations
• Each participant asked to complete
questionnaire
BAM Liverpool Dr Peter Sharp, Dr Ursula Schinzel
10-12 September 2013
12
Methodology ctd
• 42 participants were asked the
additional question below
• One aspect of the LIFE project is the
use of personal stories to reflect on
individuals’ lives and help plan
ahead. Why do you think personal
stories help develop effective LIFE
development goals?
BAM Liverpool Dr Peter Sharp, Dr Ursula Schinzel
10-12 September 2013
13
Results Quantitative Data : First stage
of LIFE Technique
Row
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Stage 1
Telling Story
Likert Scale
1 Strongly Agree
2 Agree
3 Disagree
4 Strongly Disagree
Total 1
Total 2
Total 3
Total 4
Neither
No Response
Total Completed
Total Score (aggregate)
Average Likert Score
BAM Liverpool Dr Peter Sharp, Dr Ursula Schinzel
Q1. I found it helpful
Q2. I found
for planning my future this easy to do
24 [24]*
30 [30]
64 [128]
53.5** [107]
15 [45]
19.5 [58.5]
4 [16]
6 [24]
5 [12.5]
4 [10]
0
0
112
112
233.5
229.5
2.08
2.05
10-12 September 2013
14
Patterns Qualitative Data Why
Personal Stories Help Personal
Development
Past
makes us
and guides
future (7)
Past helping plan future
Realise yourself and your
situation
Confidence,
motivation
Past helps
set goals
Realise successes,
fortune, abilities (4)
Identify personal values, strengths,
experiences, desires, needs, interests
Identify why
here now
Awareness, know about self
Thinking, learning and
developing
Authentic and relate
to us
BAM Liverpool Dr Peter Sharp, Dr Ursula Schinzel
Benchmarks
Thinking and
Learning (5)
Helps Develop
us
Grasp new ideas
Example
10-12 September 2013
Relates to
us
Real /
Authentic
15
Table 3 Patterns from Primary Data of Why Personal
Stories Help Personal Development
Identity Numbers of Participants
Nationalities
Past makes us and Guides Future
10, 14, 15, 25, 27, 28, 29
Thai, Thai, Thai, Kazakh, Indian, British,
British
Helps set goals
26, 30, 35
Indian, Indian, Norwegian
Benchmarks
12
Russian
Realise successes, fortune and abilities
6, 8, 24, 29
Indian, Canadian/Lebanese, Indian, British
Identify personal values, strengths, experiences, desires,
needs, interests
7, 30, 37
Indonesian, Indian, Indian
Awareness / know about self
2, 14
Serbian, Thai
Identify why we are here now
35
Norwegian
Confidence, motivation
22, 27, 40
Thai, Indian, Russian
Thinking and Learning
4, 5, 23, 29, 39
Nigerian, Indian, Italian, British, Turkish
Helps develop us
20
Thai
Grasp new ideas
27
Indian
Example
21, 40
Thai, Russian
Relates to us
13, 27
Taiwanese, Indian
Real / Authentic
12
Russian
Compare with others
8
Canadian/ Lebanese
Categories that Summarise Why Storytelling Helps Grouped into Broad Categories in Bold Italic
Past Helping Plan Future
Realise About Yourself and Situation
Thinking, Learning and Developing
Authentic and Relates to Us
BAM Liverpool Dr Peter Sharp, Dr Ursula Schinzel
10-12 September 2013
16
Conclusion
Why do personal stories help develop effective life
development goals in cross cultural environments?
The assumption
The assumption that storytelling does
help develop effective life development
goals for people of different nationalities
was confirmed.
BAM Liverpool Dr Peter Sharp, Dr Ursula Schinzel
10-12 September 2013
17
Conclusion ctd
Why do personal stories help develop effective life
development goals in cross cultural environments?
Why?
Reasons vary:
We identify 4 main categories of reasons.
Stories help:

1.
2.
3.
4.
understand the past which helps plan the future;
realise more about oneself and current situation;
think, learn and develop and;
they are authentic and relate to people.
BAM Liverpool Dr Peter Sharp, Dr Ursula Schinzel
10-12 September 2013
18
References



















Baruch 1999
Boje 2008
Bolles 2011
Boyce 1996
Clare 2003
Davidson 2004
Denning 2000, 2001, 2002, 2010
Eales-White 2002
Gill 2001
Hansen and Kahnweiler 1993
Hofstede, Minkov, Hofstede 2010
James and Minnis 2004
Kahumba 2012
Salmon 2007
Salpeter 2008
Scholz 2003
Sharp 2011
Snowden 2000a
Stevens 1996
For full details of references please see our paper
BAM Liverpool Dr Peter Sharp, Dr Ursula Schinzel
10-12 September 2013
19
Thank you for listening…do
you have any questions?
Dr Peter Sharp
Regent’s College London
0207 487 7725
[email protected]
Dr Ursula Schinzel
00352.621.322.543
[email protected]
BAM Liverpool Dr Peter Sharp, Dr Ursula Schinzel
10-12 September 2013
20