Abstract:

This conceptual paper is developed in the realm of strategic change communication to present our Business Narrative Modelling Language (BNML) (Oliveira and Ferreira, 2010a) as a tool for facilitating change.
Consciousness, and the feeling of what happens, has its origin in a “narrative without words” (Damásio, 2000, p.199) and we naturally construct a “film in our brain” using “explicit mental patterns” (Damásio, 2000, p.28). We wish to take advantage of this in our BNML by making use of intuitive video game language, and business narrative patterns, based upon easily comprehensible dynamic pictorial representations, involving character storylines, to describe asset usage and creation through social interaction (Oliveira and Ferreira, 2010a, b). We in so doing hope to inspire managers involved in change initiatives worldwide.
We illustrate in our article how BNML has been used in real life cases to discuss strategy. Following data collection using a qualitative methodology and an analysis of the “As-Is” situation we proceed to construct a representation of the future desired (“To-Be”) situation, in both situations using BNML. We start by defining the organizational actors relevant to value creation, we then map out their interactions in the organizational context, and study how relevant deliverables are exchanged, both tangible and intangible, along various storylines, one per actor. The social interaction leading to value creation happens according to a pattern sequence (using patterns taken from Bjork and Holopainen, 2005, which are intuitively comprehensible) and is instantiated according to an Enterprise Ontology (Uschold et al., 1998). By combining various sensemaking strategies such as the narrative, visual mapping and quantification our BNML scores high on accuracy, simplicity and generality (Langley, 1999) and can be used to “connect and organize dispersed organizational knowledge” (Huff and Jenkins, 2002, p.14).
BNML is not as subjective as other tools and can also replace the voluminous strategic-planning documentation normally involved in change efforts, while still focusing attention on the critical areas of the business. With BNML a timeline is included in the modelling language – events will unfold over time and progress can be tracked. Organizational characters gain life with BNML and their paths can be followed as they are further embedded in the storylines. Relative product market share knowledge is not necessary and any firm can use BNML, irrespective of it being a leader or not in its segment. BNML helps provide a change vision in a down-to-earth way, which is a focused, intuitive graphical representation that can be used and understood, as our research has demonstrated, by front-line sales operatives, by back-office administrative personnel and also by senior managers.
We build on previous research done by authors such as Verna Allee (on assets and intangibles), Bjork and Holopainen (on game patterns), Kaplan and Norton (on key performance indicators), Brown (on the narrative) and other work on storylines such as can be used to depict actors – or characters – in films and their social interactions during the development of the story and plot. We also compare the “workflow model” against the “narrative model”, which is of utmost importance because it clearly establishes a relationship between something that is very formal (such as a business process) and the informality inherent in the narrative.

Keywords:

Strategic change communication, modelling language, narrative, storytelling, the language of film, value creation.