Military experts like Michael Vlahos have spent more than a decade re-exploring the role of “strategic narratives” in war. This is because, as I mentioned in my last post, there has been a shift in the nature of war. In my interview with Vlahos, we discussed how the role of “strategic narratives” has been thrust to the forefront of our arsenal of military tools.To learn more about Vlahos' newest book, Fighting Identity: Sacred War and World Change, click here.

In this context, strategic narratives are considered to be "compelling storylines which can explain events convincingly and from which inferences can be drawn." Or alternatively, “an interlocking framework of ‘truths’” that explain how a conflict came to be, where it is going, and how it should be argued and described.

The story of the September 11, 2001, attacks offer a modern example of what strategic narratives are and why they are useful tools for understanding conflict. In 2003, 75 percent of Americans polled supported the U.S. response to the 9/11 attacks – its offensive against Iraq.

Four years later, in April 2007, 58 percent of participants of the same poll now felt the U.S. attack on Iraq was a mistake.

Many military experts find strategic narratives, or the discourse of the historic event, as a way to explain this shift and manage conflicts so that they can win. This is important because people would naturally rather support the winner than the loser. As Nicollo Machiavelli eloquently put it:

“…because if the two powerful neighbors of yours come to blows, either they are such that, one of them winning, you have to fear the winner, or not. In whichever of these two cases, it will always be more useful to you to come out openly and make a good war; because in the first case, if you do not come out, you will always be the prey of whoever wins, with the pleasure and satisfaction of the vanquished, and you have neither reason nor anything that might defend you or that might give you shelter. Because he who wins does not want suspect friends who did not help him in adversity; he who loses does not shelter you, because you did not want to rescue his fortune with arms in hand.”

This thought process also applies to business because the same human principles operate here. Corporations must build authentic narratives that make people want to belong. As Vlahos said in our interview, "The relationship between customers and the corporation needs to be something more than manipulation by the corporation to get what they want. It has to satisfy their vision of what they are and what they want to be.”

Importantly, Vlahos contends that a corporation’s narrative needs to be in harmony with that of the greater civilization. A business’ actions become the posts of its story, and a company needs to show that ultimately this fits with where the community at large wants to go.

It is that link – between the corporate narrative and the cultural one – where Ethonomics comes in. If people want companies that are moving in the direction of ethics and sustainability, then companies must show that their narratives fit this vision too.

What I loved about this interview was the practicality of it. Here is someone who knows a lot about war and bloodshed explaining the strategic benefit of being “good”!

Using Strategic Narratives to Explain Apple’s Allure

When Vlahos turned to the implication of strategic narratives in business, he picked a prominent corporate “war” to make his point: Apple vs. Microsoft. The narrative view offers a fascinating explanation for what is happening between these competitors.

Microsoft has generated significantly more value than Apple, but Apple has plugged into the national Zeitgeist (our general trend of thought and feeling) more powerfully. Vlahos says that narratives can explain this, and a company’s narrative is often tied to that of its leader.

Steve Jobs, founder and CEO of Apple, has been able to sense the national narrative of being an “underdog” and plugs into it. He represents something that many of us want to be part of. Jobs represents salvation and success through innovation and hard work.

Conversely, Vlahos sees that “[Microsoft Chairman Bill] Gates represents, whether he likes it or not, the gilded age – the age of Rockefeller.”

The gilded age narrative may have been an alluring historical story, but it is no longer the ideal. It does not lead to where the majority of Americans want to see us going – to a place of efficient sustainability where average people have the chance to realize their dreams and monopolies do not win.

The strategic narrative plays a role within the company and outside of the company. Ask yourself the questions below to see how you can craft a narrative that your employees and your customers can support.

1.    What is your company’s narrative?

2.    How does your company’s narrative fit the broader cultural one?

3.    Is the narrative closely associated with your company’s leadership?

4.  How can I share our narrative to inspire others?