This article introduces key insights from the academic article, "Generation Gap? The Branching Influence of Historical Myths". It explores how the stories organizations tell about their past, especially when faced with challenges, significantly impact how different generations within the organization respond and shape its future.

Organizations often face critical moments, from launching new initiatives to navigating crises. In these times, leaders frequently turn to history, using past events and narratives to rally support and inspire action. This report delves into how these historical narratives are created by senior members and interpreted by newer generations, revealing their profound and often unexpected long-term effects. Our research shows that the way these stories are shared and understood across generations can either propel an organization forward or trap it in cycles of inaction.

Sungchul Noh
Associate Professor, DBA Associate Director

The Power of historical narratives and Organizational generations

Leaders strategically use historical narratives to motivate employees, build collective identity, and foster support for new directions. These stories often involve emotionally charged elements, drawing on feelings about the past (like pride or regret) and aspirations or fears about the future (like hope or dread). For example, a story might highlight past triumphs to inspire confidence, or a past struggle to emphasize the need for current change. While generally effective for building initial support, our study reveals that their impact isn't always straightforward or uniformly positive, especially over time and across different employee generations.

Organizational generations refer to groups of employees who share common experiences and memories of significant organizational events. These shared experiences—or lack thereof—can lead to vastly different interpretations of the same historical narratives. For instance, a senior leader might have personally experienced a pivotal event, while a junior employee only knows it through secondhand accounts. This difference in perspective can create unexpected complexities in how historical stories are received and how they influence organizational change.

What We Studied: Failed Strikes in South Korean Public Broadcaster

To understand these dynamics, we conducted an in-depth comparative study of two major public broadcasting companies in South Korea. The unions within both broadcasters initiated large-scale strikes to remove their CEOs, whom they accused of undermining journalistic integrity. However, both strikes ultimately failed to achieve their primary goals. We observed how senior members actively used stories from the past to engage juniors. This context allowed us to examine how historical narratives played out when organization change initiatives did not go as planned.

What Our findings Mean for Leaders and Organizations

Our research offers vital lessons for managers, leaders, and anyone involved in organizational change and navigating intergenerational dynamics:

1. Craft Adaptive Historical Narratives, Not Just Inspiring Ones:
   • Beware of "All-or-Nothing" Stories: While a narrative of unblemished triumph can initially inspire, it becomes a major liability if the initiative faces setbacks or fails. It can breed rigidity, resistance to compromise, and a deep sense of betrayal among those who committed to an idealized past.
   • Embrace Nuance and Growth: Leaders should instead craft stories that acknowledge the organization's full history, including challenges and past shortcomings. Framing initiatives as opportunities to learn from mistakes and build towards a better future (rather than merely restoring a perfect past) creates a more resilient narrative. This allows for flexibility and reinterpretation if plans change, making it easier to adapt and still view efforts as a form of progress.
2. Actively Bridge Generational Gaps in Historical Understanding:
   • Encourage Open Dialogue: Recognize that different generations have different "lived histories" of the organization. Seniors often possess a more comprehensive, nuanced understanding, including past failures they may not have initially shared in their motivating stories.
   • Share the Full Picture: Managers should encourage seniors to openly and honestly share these more complete memories with juniors. This prevents juniors from operating on an oversimplified, idealized version of history that can lead to strong resistance when reality deviates from the "historical myth". Fostering open communication helps bridge these understanding gaps and build a shared, realistic historical perspective.
3. Turn Failure into a Foundation for Future Success:
   • Process Failure Collectively: The way an organization processes failure, particularly across generations, determines its ability to learn and move forward. If discussions are suppressed, painful failures get "backgrounded," hindering learning and creating a collective reluctance for future action.
   • Integrate Failure into the Narrative of Progress: When failure aligns with a narrative that embraces growth through challenges, members are more likely to discuss it openly and integrate it into their collective history as a valuable lesson or turning point. Managers should facilitate this "foregrounding" of failure through transparent discussions, documentation (e.g., "lessons learned" reports, dedicated forums), and by celebrating the resilience gained from overcoming obstacles. This fosters a culture of learning and enhances the organization's long-term adaptability and willingness to take on new challenges.
4. Cultivate Cohesive Intergenerational Groups:
   • Build "Mnemonic Communities": The research highlights the importance of fostering cohesive groups (what we call "cross-generational mnemonic communities") where members, regardless of tenure, can openly engage with shared memories and experiences.
   • Strengthen Bonds Through Shared Sensemaking: These communities are vital for navigating unexpected events and preventing divisions. When open communication and shared sense-making are encouraged, these groups become more resilient, enabling them to collectively interpret and respond to challenges, ultimately influencing the organization's historical record and future actions.

Conclusion

This research underscores that history is not a static concept but a living, breathing part of an organization's identity, profoundly shaped by and shaping its generations. How leaders use historical narratives, and how those narratives are received and negotiated across generational lines, determines an organization's capacity for resilience, learning, and future action. By embracing nuanced historical storytelling, fostering open intergenerational dialogue, and actively processing failures as opportunities for growth, leaders can effectively bridge generational divides and ensure that their organization's past truly serves as a cornerstone for a more dynamic and successful future.