Using stories to drive understanding and action in Product Organisations

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses how storytelling can be used in product discovery and delivery to test ideas, create shared understanding, and direct decision-making. It explores the different types of reasoning (deduction, induction, and abduction) and how stories can help bridge the gaps between them, particularly in complex and innovative operations where relying solely on logic is not enough.

🙋 Q&A

[01] The Power of Storytelling

1. What are the three key outcomes the author wants to achieve when communicating in a creative project? The author wants to achieve one of three outcomes when communicating in a creative project:

• Share meaning
• Persuade
• Inspire

2. How can stories help achieve these three outcomes? Stories are often the most effective method for achieving all three outcomes, as they can change how we feel and what we believe, inspire action and faith, or make us question reality.

3. What is the difference between "making sense" and "making magic" when it comes to storytelling?

• When the link between cause and effect is evident and consistent with our expectations, we say something "makes sense".
• When the link between cause and effect is broken and the surrounding sense-making information architecture replaces our expectations with something poetic or profound, we say it's "magical" and it changes our view of reality.

4. Why can't we rely solely on "magical thinking" in product development? Magical thinking results in waste and wishes that never come true, and it's better suited to generating artistic value rather than user and business value.

[02] The Role of Reasoning in Storytelling

1. What are the three types of reasoning discussed in the article? The three types of reasoning are:

• Deduction: Moving from a general premise to a specific conclusion
• Induction: Generating a generalized rule from particular instances or observations
• Abduction: Generating new ideas from incomplete information

2. How can these three types of reasoning be used in product thinking and design?

• Deduction is useful for verifying and testing hypotheses.
• Induction is useful for building theory from data.
• Abduction is useful for generating innovative ideas, especially in complex and fast-changing environments.

3. Why is it important to support abductive reasoning in an organization? If an organization doesn't support abductive reasoning, it is unlikely to be able to compete in a world that changes too fast to rely only on deduction and induction.

[03] The Power of "Therefore"

1. How can the word "therefore" be used in product management?

• "Therefore" forces us to understand the connections between premises and conclusions, and causes and effects.
• It can be used for both routine operations (deductive reasoning) and complex, innovative operations.

2. How can stories help when "generalized" information is lacking? When data is scarce, stories can help by imposing a logic or "narrative gravity" to support information exchange and decision-making. Stories don't always need facts, but they need logic or artistry to make imaginative leaps feel as safe as the logical steps of deduction.

3. What is the difference between "and then" and "therefore" in storytelling?

• "And then" statements indicate a lack of continuity and coherence in the story.
• "Therefore" statements connect the story's statements and conclusions, demonstrating the logic and design work is complete.

[04] The Risks and Benefits of Storytelling

1. How can stories be used for "evil"? Stories can be used to mislead, oversimplify, or misrepresent things. Understanding how stories operate can not only empower you to use them effectively, but also insulate you from falling prey to their beguiling effects.

2. What is the author's definition of a "story"? A story is a string of connected statements and conclusions connected by "therefore" statements rather than "and then" statements. It has continuity and coherence.

3. Why is it important for product teams to be skilled at storytelling and identifying stories that don't add up? Being skilled at storytelling and critical evaluation of stories can help support teams in critical thinking, imaginative speculation, and suspending disbelief when necessary.