Wake Me Up When the Data Is Over: How Organizations Use Stories to Drive Results
by Lori L. Silverman
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Book Summary Information
Author: Lori L. SilvermanEditor: Lori L. Silverman
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2006-10-13
ISBN: 0787982709
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Jossey-Bass
Book Reviews of Wake Me Up When the Data Is Over: How Organizations Use Stories to Drive Results
Book Review: Silverman Fills in What's Missing in Other Books in this Genre
Summary: 5 Stars
A number of very good books are available on organizational storytelling, but Lori Silverman hits the nail on the head when she writes in the preface of Wake Me When the Data's Over that "something was missing" from the books out there before hers came out. The other books tended to describe various kinds of stories used in organizations and give how-tos on developing those kinds of stories, but they came up short in giving real examples of such stories and explaining how to apply them in various business situations.
While I love those other books -- and they certainly do serve a significant purpose -- they left me frustrated and lacking a complete picture of organizational storytelling. I also found it frustrating to get buy-in from my college students about the value of business narrative with books that were deficient in offering concrete examples. I don't think there is one chapter in Silverman's book that doesn't have at least one example story. And each chapter explains exactly how story is/was applied in the situation it addresses. Each chapter ends with a bulleted list summarizing key points from the chapter.
Silverman has employed the remarkable methodology of gathering 14 contributors and interviewing 171 people from 81 organizations worldwide. She and her contributors are then able to describe "how organizations are using story to drive results." Indeed, they reveal how story is used in customer service, human capital, marketing and marketing research, branding, teamwork, leadership development, financial management, project
management, organizational change, difficult issues, history, and core values, and strategy.
Perhaps most importantly, Silverman's book truly represents the evolution of organizational storytelling. This is a young and emerging field, and Silverman's book stands firmly on the shoulders of the works of scholars and practitioners that have gone before it -- but builds on them. Indeed, many of the pioneers, ground-breakers, and driving forces in this discipline are among Silverman's contributors. I could not disagree more with the preceding reviewer who said the book does not take the field to the next level. I am convinced that Wake Me When the Data's Over elevates the conversation on organizational storytelling, provides copious practical tools and techniques, and truly represents a major step forward in the literature of the discipline.
For neophytes to the field or unconvinced skeptics, Silverman's stunning finding -- that through story use 36 percent of organizations surveyed for the book have experienced positive financial impact to the bottom line through increased growth, profitability, and/or increased funding -- should erase doubts. Other gains from story use were smaller but clearly show the potential of this field to continue to grow and evolve.
I recommend this book unhesitatingly. Let me also add that it's highly accessible and a great read.
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