The Art of Storytelling in Academic Writing
Ace M. Beorchia, Ashley Yerves Roccapriore, Tim G. Pollock, Gerald F. Davis, Kimberly D. Elsbach, Adam M. Grant, Benjamin L. Hallen, John R. Hollenbeck, Viólina Rindova · Academy of Management Proceedings · 2021
Academics are extremely fortunate. Our job is to (1) think of questions other people haven’t thought of and identify questions that haven’t been answered, (2) figure out how to answer them, (3) do it, and then (4) tell the story. The bulk of the training we receive in doctoral programs focuses on parts two and three (i.e., research design and analytical techniques), with a reasonable amount of attention given to part one in theory and content seminars; however almost no attention is given to part four—storytelling. Our symposium will address the under-discussed “art” of storytelling that helps make some articles so much more influential than others. In particular we will focus on the structure of storytelling, storytelling techniques, language use, and the writing process. Our panelists are OB, Strategy and Organization theory scholars who are well known for their storytelling styles, and will create a unique and meaningful session on the art of storytelling.