Negative stories in business have a purpose and also have limitations. We came across an example last week that demonstrates both these points perfectly. Last week there was a leaked email doing the rounds from Nokia CEO Stephen Elop.
The email was a prelude to Nokia’s strategy announcement on Friday 11th February. But Elop’s initial email to employees is worth analysis from a negative story perspective.
The email starts with a well know story about the burning platform.
“There is a pertinent story about a man who was working on an oil platform in the North Sea. He woke up one night from a loud explosion, which suddenly set his entire oil platform on fire. In mere moments, he was surrounded by flames. Through the smoke and heat, he barely made his way out of the chaos to the platform’s edge. When he looked down over the edge, all he could see were the dark, cold, foreboding Atlantic waters.
As the fire approached him, the man had mere seconds to react. He could stand on the platform, and inevitably be consumed by the burning flames. Or, he could plunge 30 meters in to the freezing waters. The man was standing upon a “burning platform,” and he needed to make a choice.
He decided to jump. It was unexpected. In ordinary circumstances, the man would never consider plunging into icy waters. But these were not ordinary times – his platform was on fire. The man survived the fall and the waters. After he was rescued, he noted that a “burning platform” caused a radical change in his behaviour.
We too, are standing on a “burning platform,” and we must decide how we are going to change our behaviour.”
This is a true story and was the origin of the term ‘burning platform’. Starting the email with this negative story serves a specific purpose. It raises the awareness of a problem. If your employees or your customers are not aware there is a problem then a negative story can shock them into the realisation that there is one. That is the purpose of a negative story. The limitations of a negative story however is that it will not necessarily change behaviour. So when Elop concludes the story with ‘We too, are standing on a “burning platform,” and we must decide how we are going to change our behaviour.’ While that may be the case, the negative burning platform story will not achieve the change of behaviour.
Why not? As conventional wisdom says that crisis is a powerful motivator for change.
John Kotter, Harvard Business School professor and award-winning author has hit on a crucial insight . “Behavior change happens mostly by speaking to people’s feelings,” he says. “This is true even in organizations that are very focused on analysis and quantitative measurement, even among people who think of themselves as smart in an MBA sense. In highly successful change efforts, people find ways to help others see the problems or solutions in ways that influence emotions, not just thought.”
Sharing his own expereinces Kotter, states ‘We went out looking for stories of successful change because I concluded years ago that people need more positive examples than they need negative ones. People are seeing too much negative stuff, and they know it. They can all give you 53 negative stories. What people need are positive examples of what works’.
I then read the rest of the Nokia email to see if a positive story would appear …but it didn’t. The crux of the email was stating dooming fact after dooming fact with a continual reference to the burning platform. For example,
”I have learned that we are standing on a burning platform. And, we have more than one explosion – we have multiple points of scorching heat that are fuelling a blazing fire around us. ”
There is an attempt right at the end to motivate and inspire through positivity but it falls well short of achieving that….
“The burning platform, upon which the man found himself, caused the man to shift his behaviour, and take a bold and brave step into an uncertain future. He was able to tell his story. Now, we have a great opportunity to do the same.” Nokia did announce their new strategy a few days after this email and reading through everything available on the web I failed to see a positive story used to engage people in the new strategy. Perhaps positive stories are being used internally.
So just to recap, it is important to understand that negative stories serve a very specific purpose and that is to raise awareness of a problem. Their limitation is that they will not change behaviour, also demonstrated via WorkSafes use of story . To change behaviour you need to quickly move on from the negative story and start sharing positive stories …and lots of them.
Tell us what you think …please leave a comment below.
11 Comments »
Hi Gabrielle,
Thanks for your post. My colleagues and I liked the fact storytelling was used in the Nokia CEO’s email to employees. At the same time, we definitely felt the story itself, and the CEO’s email, fell short of inspiring Nokia employees to change the way they worked. The email created, as you said, a sense of doom, before asking employees to stay tuned for a planned announcement about their new corporate strategy. I appreciate the CEO was trying to build a rationale for change ahead of the strategy announcement but as an employee I would have felt pretty demotivated after reading the CEO’s initial email.
I agree with Kotter’s comments. Within my own organisation, I’ve found that trying to uncover the positive stories, rather than the negative stories, requires more effort. People can easily tell you about a time something went wrong with a customer, whereas drawing out those examples of where we have delighted the customer takes longer. Still, it’s worth the effort – people love hearing these positive stories at our all employee events and re-tell them throughout the year.
Sonia
Sonia,
You are absolutely right, it is so much harder to find the positive stories in organisations but they are critical in achieving change. The negative stories seem to have a life of their own. No communication stratgey required to get the negative stories out there.
In our work we do with leaders we often pose the challenge to them, that as leaders if they are not finding and sharing positive stories, then who is?
Gabrielle
Hi Gabrielle,
The burning platform email would have left me looking up the number of my caring recruitment agencies. If you take the analogy of the story literally then Nokia is pretty well knackered at least in the minds of senior management! It lacks a sense of purpose and strategy for the thriving in the future. Perhaps they can follow it up with “Out of the frying pan into the fire” email. That’s if there is anyone left to read them.
The choice of the story is quite alarming in my view, that management could link their plight to one of a desperate act needed for survival. Not necessarily wrong but certainly lack the emotive link to thrive.
Gabrielle, you make an excellent point, and yet, I think the negative story can serve a purpose, to break inertia. When I worked in product marketing I think we would have required a story such as the one used by Nokia to get the attention of some of the engineers, who preferred to stand by the technology they’d created.
Yes, moving to create an inspiring vision is the next step for Nokia, and perhaps the Microsoft annoucement was just that, provided the engineers adopt the MS platform. Nokia is still the worldwide market share leader in cell phones, so they are not on the verge of destruction, this likely colored the tone of the story.
Hi Gabrielle, Without knowing the details leading upto this “leaked email” and then the details of the launched “new strategy” it is difficult to pass judgement on Stephen Elop’s thinking and motivation behind this email, but I believe the email has a very POWERFUL story which it simplifies the Nokia position without communicating the Nokia business details and organisation complexity which can usually confuse employees.
If you understand the Kotter 8 Step Change Model, the first step of change is to “Establish a Sense of Urgency”, which I believe this email contributes to this 1st step of Change very well by sending a clear message to the staff that they (Nokia) need to change as they are in “non ordinary times” and will need to make courageous decisions to ensure survival.
How Stephen leads his organisation through the next steps of the change program will be extremely important.
It will be interesting to follow their progress.
Brad
Hi Brad,
You hit the nail on the head. Without knowing the details it is hard to say if this was an effective email or not. If the Nokia employees were going along thinking there was nothing wrong, or it was not that bad then this email is a very effective strategy. Because like you said establishing a sense of urgency is the first stage in Kotter’s 8 step Change model….but only the first step.
How the they lead the organisation from here on end will be the most important. A mistake some leaders make is thinking that all they need is the negative story or the sense of urgency to achieve change and we know that doesn’t work because as you pointed out it is only the first step. Hopefully they can start finding some positive stories to achieve the change in behaviour they are seeking.
Good job and it will be very interesting indeed to follow their progress.
Gabrielle
I think we all learn from negative stories. Many cultures and regions use stories to control, coerce or influence behaviour. Children’s stories are the most obvious examples of how we get across strong morals and values in our society. We have just forgotton how powerful these are in our lives because they are now part of our behaviour and our moral compass.
Using negative stories I believe has a much more powerful impact on memory recall. It is however interesting to note that the drink drive and smoking campaign and tells us alot about how, to who and when we deliver these stories.
I followed your link above and did think it very powerful the way Worksafe brought the dangers to our attention (awareness raising) and then put the positive spin on the best reasons for workplace safety.However I have also read in Change Management theory that we will do more to avoid pain than to gain pleasure. If it is accurate research, I wonder how that works in the light of this theory? The worksafe ads – both the “in your face” negative and then the softer “Dido” version are however both ‘avoiding pain’ scenarios – in the latter case the pain of your family if you are injured in a workplace accident. Just a thought for contemplation….thanks for the interesting stories Gabrielle and Yamini!
Fiona, Thanks for your comment and yes it is an interesting thought you raise. Perhaps the softier ‘Dido’ versions while still a more positive message are in fact tapping into the avoiding pain theory. It is certainly food for thought.
Gabrielle
Great post, thank you as always!
Yes, we “do more” to avoid pain – and then have less cognitive ability to imagine and act on making positive change.
Neurologically, our brains are better primed with happiness, not fear. Joy is a more powerful motivator when we are seeking to influence behavior. Fear is certainly memorable and sticky. It can result in immobility, an inability to act. Rather than flee, listeners want to be heroic, and identify with a protagonist who rises to a challenge and succeeds.
Thaler,
Thanks for your comment it is extremely insightful. I love your comment about Joy being a more powerful motivator when seeking to influence behaviour.
Gabrielle
Leave a comment