Take Charge of the Narrative - Careers in Government

Take Charge of the Narrative

S. Chris Edmonds is a sought-after speaker, author, and executive consultant. He’s the founder and CEO of The Purposeful Culture Group, which he launched in 1990. Chris helps senior leaders build and sustain purposeful, positive, productive work cultures. He is the author or co-author of seven books, including Amazon bestsellers Good Comes First (2021) with Mark Babbitt, The Culture Engine (2014), and Leading at a Higher Level (2008) with Ken Blanchard.

University of Maryland professor Arie Kruglanski described how certain needs may drive people to act in radical ways. These “three N’s” are Needs, Narrative, and Network. While Kruglanski’s commentary related to individuals, and it may be a leap to apply deradicalization concepts to building vibrant, healthy work cultures, you can still see the importance of these three N’s. Drivers of Deradicalization: Needs, Narratives, Networks | HuffPost

Let’s dig into these powerful persuaders.

Needs describe the basic human quest to matter — to live with significance. For some, needs are the driving force that compel them to do good and to serve people. For others, needs lead to violent upheaval.

According to Kruglanski, the deciding factor for acting for good or evil is the second N, narrative, that people are exposed to.

If the narrative in your community suggests that the way to significance is through good deeds, and you accept that, you’ll do those. If the narrative suggests fighting the enemy of your beliefs, and you accept that, then that’s what you’ll do.

The third N is network, a community that both rewards behavior and validates members who act in accordance with the narrative, whether that narrative is for good or for evil.

Find ways to maintain a narrative of good, provide a way to do good, and reward efforts to serve others both inside and outside of the workforce.

CHRIS EDMONDS

We can see these principles at work in communities:

Organizations of service – for instance, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes for the less fortunate.
Extremist groups and street gangs resort to violence to defend their group and their beliefs.
Results-driven organizational cultures with a prevalent “I win, you lose” work culture are driven by the self-serving behaviors of leaders and players.
Purposeful, positive, productive work cultures, where the needs, narrative, and network drive the purpose of improving the quality of life of others while treating them with respect daily.

As you work to build a vibrant and healthy work culture, keep these three Ns in mind as you work with your team. Find ways to maintain a narrative of good, provide a way to do good, and reward efforts to serve others both inside and outside of the workforce.