ASSIGNEMENT	
  :	
  Reflection	
  on	
  Storytelling

Challenge	
  &	
  Selection:

As	
  part	
  of	
  the	
  organization	
  team	
  of	
  the	
  biggest	
  student	
  trip	
  for	
  business	
  schools,	
  I	
  had	
  to	
   deal	
  with	
  motivating	
  and	
  dynamizing	
  the	
  whole	
  team.	
  I	
  was	
  vice-­‐president	
  of	
  the	
  thirty	
   organizers,	
  and	
  I	
  personally	
  felt	
  very	
  concerned	
  by	
  the	
  project	
  and	
  its	
  smooth	
  running,	
  but	
   that	
  was	
  not	
  the	
  case	
  of	
  the	
  majority.	
  So	
  my	
  biggest	
  challenge	
  was	
  to	
  involve	
  everyone	
  and	
   take	
  the	
  best	
  of	
  them.	
  For	
  that	
  I	
  decided	
  to	
  use	
  the	
  storytelling	
  tool.	
  It	
  was	
  about	
  bringing	
  a	
   team	
  together	
  thanks	
  to	
  emotions,	
  character	
  and	
  values,	
  creating	
  a	
  connection	
  and	
  strong	
   links	
  between	
  all	
  of	
  us.	
  But	
  the	
  hard	
  task	
  was	
  that,	
  the	
  organization	
  team	
  was	
  split	
  into	
  three	
   different	
  schools,	
  all	
  in	
  different	
  areas	
  of	
  Paris.	
  So	
  communication	
  and	
  motivation	
  levers	
   were	
  a	
  real	
  challenge	
  to	
  use.	
  I	
  am	
  going	
  to	
  focus	
  mostly	
  on	
  the	
  storytelling	
  (Module	
  2)	
  I	
  used	
   for	
  people	
  from	
  my	
  school.

As	
  explained	
  in	
  the	
  fourth	
  video	
  of	
  that	
  module,	
  storytelling	
  is	
  about	
  “creating	
  a	
  cause”	
   rather	
  than	
  “solving	
  a	
  problem”.	
  And	
  this	
  is	
  exactly	
  what	
  I	
  resorted	
  to	
  :	
  uniting	
  a	
  team	
   around	
  common	
  objectives,	
  develop	
  team	
  bounds	
  and	
  drive	
  transformation	
  -­‐	
  here	
  hard	
   work	
  for	
  the	
  organization	
  of	
  this	
  135-­‐participant	
  trip.	
  For	
  that	
  you	
  need	
  to	
  adapt	
  your	
  speech	
   to	
  your	
  audience,	
  to	
  substitute	
  possibilities	
  to	
  challenges.

Application:

The	
  majority	
  of	
  members	
  of	
  that	
  organization	
  team	
  were	
  also	
  involved	
  in	
  other	
  time-­‐ consuming	
  projects	
  and	
  student	
  associations.	
  Some	
  of	
  them	
  were	
  team	
  members	
  just	
  for	
   the	
  brand	
  name,	
  but	
  did	
  not	
  feel	
  the	
  necessity	
  of	
  joining	
  the	
  team	
  effort	
  for	
  this	
  execution	
   of	
  this	
  trip.

I	
  applied	
  the	
  storytelling	
  tool	
  by	
  organizing	
  team	
  building	
  events,	
  having	
  an	
  inclusive	
  and	
   motivating	
  speech	
  and	
  setting	
  up	
  rewards.	
  So	
  I	
  adapted	
  my	
  speech,	
  and	
  basically	
  the	
  three	
   managing	
  members	
  we	
  were	
  talking	
  to	
  team-­‐members	
  on	
  a	
  daily	
  basis,	
  in	
  one-­‐to-­‐one	
  and	
   informal	
  conversation	
  explaining	
  them	
  how	
  this	
  student	
  organization	
  was	
  important,	
  how	
   well	
  the	
  trip	
  unfolded	
  last	
  year,	
  how	
  all	
  the	
  participants	
  were	
  enchanted,	
  and	
  thus	
  how	
   high	
  the	
  standards	
  were	
  for	
  us	
  this	
  year.	
  We	
  also	
  organized	
  some	
  exclusive	
  drinks	
  between	
   the	
  extended	
  team,	
  were	
  we	
  begin	
  by	
  talking	
  about	
  the	
  past	
  achievements,	
  rewarding	
   people	
  who	
  had	
  played	
  a	
  key	
  role	
  in	
  them,	
  and	
  future	
  goals	
  were	
  each	
  of	
  them	
  was	
   assigned	
  a	
  specific	
  role.

My	
  storytelling	
  tool,	
  using	
  the	
  success	
  of	
  the	
  organizing	
  teams	
  from	
  the	
  precedent	
   promotions,	
  worked	
  to	
  a	
  certain	
  extent.	
  Some	
  of	
  the	
  people	
  who	
  were	
  already	
  convinced	
  I	
   would	
  say,	
  about	
  the	
  purpose	
  of	
  their	
  responsibility	
  within	
  the	
  organization,	
  felt	
  all	
  the	
   more	
  useful	
  and	
  did	
  work	
  more	
  and	
  gave	
  their	
  best.	
  However,	
  I	
  faced	
  and	
  inefficiency	
  and	
  a	
   limit	
  to	
  this	
  design	
  thinking	
  tool	
  when	
  it	
  came	
  to	
  people	
  who	
  already	
  had	
  almost	
  dropped

the	
  purpose.	
  Those	
  ones	
  were	
  hard	
  to	
  convince,	
  even	
  by	
  trying	
  to	
  give	
  them	
  a	
  unique	
   position	
  in	
  the	
  history	
  of	
  this	
  student	
  organization.

Insight	
  &	
  approach:

The	
  insight	
  I	
  gained	
  from	
  applying	
  this	
  design	
  thinking	
  tool	
  is	
  its	
  duality:	
  very	
  efficient	
  to	
   half-­‐way	
  involved	
  people.	
  It	
  does	
  increase	
  the	
  team	
  spirit,	
  by	
  inscribing	
  them	
  into	
  a	
  long-­‐ term	
  history,	
  and	
  incentivize	
  them	
  to	
  make	
  more	
  efforts.	
  But	
  I	
  also	
  realized	
  this	
  tool	
  was	
  a	
   necessary	
  but	
  not	
  sufficient	
  condition	
  for	
  team-­‐building.

Next	
  time,	
  I	
  will	
  try	
  to	
  add	
  the	
  other	
  three	
  design	
  thinking	
  tools	
  to	
  my	
  approach	
  to	
   managing	
  a	
  team,	
  as	
  small	
  and	
  important	
  as	
  it	
  is.	
  This	
  experience	
  was	
  that	
  of	
  a	
  student	
  one,	
   and	
  I	
  will	
  now	
  be	
  ready	
  to	
  apply	
  it	
  to	
  my	
  professional	
  life	
  once	
  I	
  start	
  it.	
  The	
  mooc	
  gave	
  me	
   the	
  theoretical	
  framework	
  of	
  something	
  I	
  was	
  empirically	
  applying	
  from	
  scratch.	
  I	
  know	
   now	
  that	
  outlook,	
  uncertainty,	
  new	
  experiences	
  and	
  repertoire	
  are	
  the	
  three	
  levers	
  of	
   storytelling.	
  And	
  George	
  &	
  Geoff’s	
  story	
  gave	
  me	
  a	
  better	
  insight	
  of	
  a	
  manager’s	
  challenges	
   and	
  possibilities	
  to	
  surpass	
  them	
  thanks	
  to	
  soft-­‐skills.


ASSIGNEMENT : Reflection on Storytelling Challenge & Selection : As part of the organization team of the biggest student trip for business schools , I had to deal with motivating and dynamizing the whole team . I was vice-­‐president of the thirty organizers , and I personally felt very concerned by the project and its smooth running , but that was not the case of the majority . So my biggest challenge was to involve everyone and take the best of them . For that I decided to use the storytelling tool . It was about bringing a team together thanks to emotions , character and values , creating a connection and strong links between all of us . But the hard task was that , the organization team was split into three different schools , all in different areas of Paris . So communication and motivation levers were a real challenge to use . I am going to focus mostly on the storytelling ( Module 2 ) I used for people from my school . As explained in the fourth video of that module , storytelling is about “ creating a cause ” rather than “ solving a problem ” . And this is exactly what I resorted to : uniting a team around common objectives , develop team bounds and drive transformation -­‐ here hard work for the organization of this 135-­‐participant trip . For that you need to adapt your speech to your audience , to substitute possibilities to challenges . Application : The majority of members of that organization team were also involved in other time-­‐ consuming projects and student associations . Some of them were team members just for the brand name , but did not feel the necessity of joining the team effort for this execution of this trip . I applied the storytelling tool by organizing team building events , having an inclusive and motivating speech and setting up rewards . So I adapted my speech , and basically the three managing members we were talking to team-­‐members on a daily basis , in one-­‐to-­‐one and informal conversation explaining them how this student organization was important , how well the trip unfolded last year , how all the participants were enchanted , and thus how high the standards were for us this year . We also organized some exclusive drinks between the extended team , were we begin by talking about the past achievements , rewarding people who had played a key role in them , and future goals were each of them was assigned a specific role . My storytelling tool , using the success of the organizing teams from the precedent promotions , worked to a certain extent . Some of the people who were already convinced I would say , about the purpose of their responsibility within the organization , felt all the more useful and did work more and gave their best . However , I faced and inefficiency and a limit to this design thinking tool when it came to people who already had almost dropped the purpose . Those ones were hard to convince , even by trying to give them a unique position in the history of this student organization . Insight & approach : The insight I gained from applying this design thinking tool is its duality : very efficient to half-­‐way involved people . It does increase the team spirit , by inscribing them into a long-­‐ term history , and incentivize them to make more efforts . But I also realized this tool was a necessary but not sufficient condition for team-­‐building . Next time , I will try to add the other three design thinking tools to my approach to managing a team , as small and important as it is . This experience was that of a student one , and I will now be ready to apply it to my professional life once I start it . The mooc gave me the theoretical framework of something I was empirically applying from scratch . I know now that outlook , uncertainty , new experiences and repertoire are the three levers of storytelling . And George & Geoff ’s story gave me a better insight of a manager ’s challenges and possibilities to surpass them thanks to soft-­‐skills .