Anecdote - example 5

Stories that explain while creating,

maintaining and legitimizing behavior

On my walk with Darren this morning I was being the proud parent recounting last week’s parent-teacher night and telling him how well my eldest daughter is doing academically. Being the father of two daughters I was mindful of the importance of balancing my praise between my girls so I made a point of also recognizing my youngest for getting into the school netball team. Darren then told me the story of how his brother was always reminded by his parents how he was good with his hands and how Darren was the one who had the brains. His brother became a carpenter while Darren went to uni and started work as a scientist.

The stories we tell not only help explain and provide meaning to our experiences, they also shape and legitimize our actions. This point is well made by David Boje et. al. (1982) where they explore the role or myths; which equate to dominate stories; within organizations. The stories you tell and retell, which become the accepted explanation of how things are around here, become difficult to dislodge and can only be replaced by another dominant story. The stories you tell about your children will be instrumental to the creation of their identity and therefore what they consider is possible. The same is true for the stories we tell about staff, managers, leaders and any other identity we wish to single out. 

Anecdote - example 4

Two ears, one mouth

I can't remember who first said to me "you have two ears and one mouth, and you should use them in that proportion" but it is one of the best pieces of advice I have ever received. Also, when working in many organizations, I notice it is not applied that widely. Shawn and I have come across two examples earlier this year where 'listeners' were let go and noisy and opinionated people were never considered to be candidates for retrenchment because of their 'visible contribution' to the organization (it was probably more their 'audible contribution'). These sorts of decisions further undermine an organization’s capability to make progress with complex problems.

Anecdote - example 3

Sidney Morgenbesser

One day in New York City, Morgenbesser put his pipe in his mouth as he was ascending the subway steps. A policeman approached and told him that there was no smoking on the subway. Morgenbesser pointed out that he was leaving the subway, not entering it, and that he had not yet lit up. The cop repeated his injunction. Morgenbesser repeated his observation. After a few such exchanges, the cop saw he was beaten and fell back on the oldest standby of enfeebled authority: "If I let you do it, I'd have to let everyone do it." To this the old philosopher replied, "Who do you think you are—Kant?" His last word was misconstrued, and the whole question of the Categorical Imperative had to be hashed out down at the police station. Morgenbesser won the argument.

Anecdote - example 2

Don't second guess me

I am working on a project requiring a major organizational transformation. On Monday, the division's chief heads off to Canberra to get a mandate to make the change from head office. One of his biggest concerns is head office continuously second-guessing him as he leads the organization through the change process. He recognizes that in complex situations there are no correct answers and there are likely to be many different opinions about what should be done, and head office has a habit of trying to micro-manage things.

Anecdote - example 1

Blessing behind Tragedy

There was a black family in Scotland years ago. They were Clark family with nine children. They had a dream to go to America. The family worked and saved. They were making plan to travel with their children to America. It had taken several years but finally they had saved enough money. They had gotten passport. They had booked seats for the whole family member in a new liner to America.

The entire family was full of anticipation and excitement with their new life in America. However few days before their departure, the youngest son was bitten by a dog. The doctor sewed up the boy. Because of the possibility of getting rabies, there were being quarantined for long days. They were in quarantine when the departure time came. The family dreams were dashed. They could not make the trip to America as they had planned.

The father was full of disappointed and anger. He stomped the dock to watch the ship leaved without him and his family. He shed tears of disappointment. He cursed both his son and God for the misfortune.

Five days latter, the tragic news spread throughout Scotland. The ship, the mighty Titanic, had shank. It took hundreds of passenger and crew with it. Titanic which had been called the unsinkable ship had sunk. It was unbelievable but it was.

The Clark family should have been on that ship, but because of the bitten son by a dog, they were left behind. When the father heard the news, he hugged the son and thanked him for saving the family. He thanked God for saving their lives. It was a blessing behind a tragedy.

The Analysis of

“Blessing behind Tragedy”

Abstract       : Everybody has a dream. You have and so do I. When the dream will come true, there is something wrong last minute before it. What will we feel?

                         What will we do?

Orientation  : The Clark family lived in Scotland. They had dream to travel to

                          America. They prepared well for their plan

Crisis           : few days before they went to America, his youngest son was bitten by a dog. It made they were being quarantined. They had to forget their plan.

Reaction      : the family was full of disappointment and anger. The father was angry with his son and God. The family failed to travel to America and the father could not accept it.

Coda            : the father thank to his son when he hear the ship sank. He thank to God because of saving the family from sinking. He thought leaving behind the ship was not a tragedy but a blessing.

Language features analysis

The use of exclamation, rhetorical question and intensifiers:

                                                    Full of

The use of material process            : were making, could not make the trip, stomped, cursed, bitten, hugged, etc

Sandiwara Kata (episode dua)

Tak berpanggung megah

Dan tak beriring irama indah

Hanya menari di atas suara yang bergetar

Sepasang mata terbelalak tanpa gerak,

terikat erat oleh awang-awang

Entah terpana

Entah kecewa

Entah berduka

Nada yang terdengar hanya semakin nyaring

dengan senandung yang bertambah miris

Sepi ikud terduduk

menyaksikan pesona pertunjukkan yang tersaji

Dan semakinlah yakin pada sandiwara kata

yang mempesona

Akhirnya dia tersujud lunglai

di hadapan rayuan busuk mematikan

Dan sepertinya dia tak bermaksud pulang

Terpeluklah dia dalam cinta

yang tersenyum bengis dari belakang

Tololnya, hanya hangat yang dirasa

Sandiwara kata tak kunjung berdiam

Pun sampai lelah ikut menyerah untuk hentikan

Sudah pulanglah semua daya

Biarkan dia nikmati manisnya

Harapan terisak memohon pada Sang Penyayang

Agar kelak tak pernah sekali saja

Akan dia rasa setetes kepahitan

yang terciprat dari luka dalam cinta

Dan sorakan takjub membahana di jagad raya

Sekali lagi, cinta mempesona sesosok jiwa

Sandiwara Kata

Tersusun rapi dan beraroma wangi

Ternyata ada cinta menyesak dalam kisahnya

Dan tanpa paksa, kata tersenyum keluar dengan bangga

Kau ... percayakah pada mereka?

Coba tengok dengan cahaya

Bagaimana mata bicara sejujur dia bisa

Lalu tengok hati mu yang diam terheran hampir tersipu oleh barisan kata yang hampir meledakkan telinga

Ada yang berbisik

Para kata hanya sedang berdrama

Atau sedang terpaksa melakoni tuntutan dunia

yang tak kunjung sembuh dari gila

Para kata semakin meraja

tanpa merasa sudah melelahkan suara

Aku terserah kau saja

Mau kau nikmati alunannya sampai kau tahu

bagaimana sejujurnya kata

Menelannya mentah sampai kau rasa pahit

yang memuakkan pada ujungnya

Atau memilih bertepuk tangan di depannya

Dan lalu melangkah berbalik arah

tanpa menyeret satu kata pun yang terluka

Dan mungkin ...

Akan ku nikmati dulu persembahannya di awal cerita

Sampai aku puas dan tertidur pulas melupakannya...