A story is more than a narrative about the world or the people in it. A story is an expression of beliefs, culture and world-view that has agency to change the ways that people and institutions relate, behave and see the world.

Storytelling for an organization, institution or project must go beyond documentation and communication. A deeper form of storytelling requires tapping into and expressing the innermost culture - the source and agency of the work at hand - and sharing with the world from that level.

When this happens, storytelling becomes a powerful vehicle for change and an indispensable aspect of the creative strategic process at every level. This kind of communications work is not something that can be outsourced to a single person or department, especially in a collaborative creative environment. All people are storytellers, and when it's recognized that stories live in the culture and people, the telling of stories can become a force that connect the people inside and outside of an organization. It can become a vehicle for collaboration, expression, and alignment that magnetizes interest, and positions people and their work powerfully in the world.

This kind of collaborative storytelling requires and fosters the development of a range of technical, creative and leadership capabilities at the individual and team level. This can make or break the success of a team's efforts.