The Uncontested Narrative Drift
Organizational narratives—stories about what the organization is, what it values, and how it succeeds—drift over time. The uncontested narrative drift describes how these stories gradually diverge from operational reality without anyone noticing the gap. The professional who periodically compares organizational narrative to operational reality detects drift before the gap becomes damaging.
Narratives serve cohesion. They provide shared understanding that coordinates action across large groups. But narratives also resist correction. Once established, they shape perception more than perception shapes them. Evidence that contradicts the narrative is discounted; evidence that supports it is amplified.
Comparing narrative to reality requires examining evidence that challenges comfortable stories. For those developing rigorous professional development strategies, narrative examination distinguishes those who respond to reality from those who respond to descriptions of it. Our drift framework provides comparison approaches.
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