Squirrel Inc.: A Fable of Leadership Through Storytelling

by Stephen Denning

Book Overview

Take a satirical scamper through organizational life in the midst of changing times, brought to you by master storyteller and former World Bank executive Steve Denning. With wisdom and a healthy dose... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0787973718
• ISBN13: 9780787973711
• Release Date: June 2004
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Length: 182 Pages
• Weight: 0.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

A Humorous Delivery of Leadership Storytelling

This book has only two problems that keep it from being a masterpiece: 1. Mr. Denning later wrote The Leader's Guide to Storytelling which covers the same material much more thoroughly and helpfully; and 2. The fable is built around a mythical company of squirrels that provides nut burying services but is having problems. I had a hard time getting my mind around that metaphor. By contrast when Dr. Spencer Johnson teaches me about mice being in trouble when their cheese is moved, I don't have the same problem with the metaphor. I recommend that you mainly use this book as a humorous side trip into leadership story telling. If you don't fell like you need such a humorous journey, you can certainly skip this book. If you do skip Squirrel Inc., I urge you to read Mr. Denning's two "serious" books on the subject in this order: Start with The Springboard and then move on to The Leader's Guide to Storytelling. I've written reviews of both of those books recently if you want to check them out. Both are superb and are must reads for any leader who wants to be effective. If you have to choose between reading Leading Change and The Springboard, choose The Springboard.

Nuts R Us

Think about it. Who are among the greatest storytellers throughout history? My own list includes Homer, Plato, Chaucer, Aesop, Jesus, Dante, Boccaccio, the Brothers Grimm, Confucius, Abraham Lincoln, Hans Christian Andersen, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll), Joel Chandler Harris, L. Frank Baum, and most recently, E.B. White. Whatever the genre (epic, parable, fable, allegory, anecdote, etc.), each used exposition, description, and narration to illustrate what they considered to be fundamental truths about the human condition. In his previous work, The Springboard, Denning focuses on "how storytelling ignites action in knowledge-led organizations" and does so with uncommon erudition, precision, and eloquence. His narrative covers a period of approximately three years during which he used what he calls "springboard" stories to "spark organizational change" at The World Bank. More specifically, to forge a consensus within that organization to support the design and then implementation of effective knowledge management, first for itself and then for its clients worldwide. How he accomplished that objective is in and of itself a fascinating "story" but the book's greater value lies in what he learned in process, lessons which are directly relevant to virtually all other organizations (regardless of size or nature) which struggle to "do more with less and do it faster" in the so-called Age of Information. Maximizing use of their collective intellectual capital is most often the single most effective way to do that. In this volume, Denning uses many of the same devices which Orwell does in Animal Farm: He creates a stressful situation to which anthropomorphic animals respond; the lead characters discuss what to do; strategies are selected; conflicts and crises immediately develop; tension is increased by the perils the lead characters encounter; ultimately, the situation is resolved. In Animal Farm, the pigs prevail. In Squirrel Inc.,.... Whereas Orwell's purpose is to dramatize the evils of totalitarianism, Denning's purpose is to give "detailed advice on how to craft and perform a story that can spark transformational change in an organization" by examining six different kinds of storytelling "which illustrate the impact of storytelling on our work and our lives." Although this is a fable of leadership, it is important to keep in mind that (a) everyone throughout any organization tells stories of various kinds each day; therefore (b) the value of the information which Denning provides and the recommendations he makes is by no means limited to senior-level executives. Why a fable? When considering how he could best communicate the various kinds of stories (e.g. "springboard" stories that communicate complex ideas and spark action), their specific uses in modern organizations, and their relevant similarities and differences, Denning "quickly discovered that conveying an understanding of seven types of stories across four or five different

Highly Recommended!

Any leader will benefit from mastering sincere storytelling that is designed to achieve specific organizational objectives. By using some storytelling techniques himself, in the form of a fable about business-owning squirrels, author Stephen Denning teaches you how to tap into your natural storytelling ability, so you can focus your listeners' goals and vision. He explains what types of stories elicit a variety of desired outcomes. He also teaches you how to tell your story and explains the reaction you can expect to generate if the story is apt. Storytelling lets leaders engage people, helps them relate to the company's goals and creates a forward-looking organization. With Denning's guidance, you can use your 'once upon a time' skills to build camaraderie, focus and happy endings. We recommend this book to all leaders, since storytelling is destined to become an unexpectedly critical skill.

BUY THIS BOOK!

Squirrel Inc. absolutely sings along. It's not only jockerblock full of strategies for how to use storytelling as part of innovative strategies for change within organizations, it's a fun book to read. Steve Denning is a master teacher and storyteller. He is also a leading business consultant with a tremendously strategic mind and an extraordinary sense of humor. If there is one book on change management you buy this year - this should be it.

Leadership IS Storytelling

I LOVED THIS BOOK! The author uses a funny story about a company--run by SQUIRRELS- to show how stories can be used to help organizations deal with change and spark innovation. I've read a lot of business fiction--some of it good, some of it bad--and I found this book to combine enough prescriptive advice within its offbeat colorful story to really be of use to leaders at all levels of the organization.