Question 1: How does literary craft apply to solving organizational challenges like team alignment or communication breakdowns?
Ferran Salgado Serrano, founder of Inicio, brings a writer's sensibility to organizational consulting. He explains that literary craft helps teams work with the deeper structures beneath their day‑to‑day conversations. "When a writer approaches a text, they look for voice, intention, coherence, rhythm, and the underlying tension that shapes the narrative. Organizations have the same elements."
When a team is misaligned, it's often because people are operating from different stories about what matters, what the work is for, or how decisions should be made. "Bringing literary tools into the room allows us to surface those narratives, examine them with clarity, and rebuild a shared storyline that people can actually inhabit. It's not about storytelling as performance — it's about narrative as structure." This perspective aligns with research on narrative identity in organizations, which shows how shared stories shape collective action.
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Question 2: What does a typical engagement look like when you're blending narrative exploration with team facilitation?
A typical engagement begins with a listening phase: conversations, documents, and informal exchanges that reveal how the team currently understands its work. From there, Ferran and his team explore the narrative patterns shaping collaboration — the metaphors they use, the tensions they carry, the expectations that guide them.
Then comes the facilitation work: sessions where the team reconstructs a shared narrative that clarifies purpose, roles, and ways of working. "The process is both reflective and practical. We move from 'what story are we living?' to 'what story do we need to live to work well together?' The outcome is a narrative framework that supports alignment and decision‑making." This approach mirrors techniques used in narrative therapy, adapted for team contexts.
Question 3: What kind of organizations benefit most from a literary approach to consulting, and what signals tell you it's the right fit?
Organizations facing ambiguity, transition, or internal friction tend to benefit the most. "When a team says things like 'we're not on the same page,' 'we've lost our sense of direction,' or 'we're talking but not understanding each other,' those are narrative signals."
It's also a good fit when leaders feel that traditional consulting approaches — metrics, processes, restructuring — aren't addressing the underlying issue. "If the challenge feels more like a question of meaning, identity, or coherence, a literary approach usually opens doors that other methods don't." This is especially relevant for teams navigating organizational change.
Question 4: How do you measure whether a narrative intervention has actually shifted how a team works together?
The indicators are mostly qualitative, but they're very clear. "You start hearing shared language: people referencing the same concepts, the same intentions, the same priorities. Meetings become more coherent. Decisions follow a recognizable logic. Conflicts become easier to name and resolve because the team has a common narrative frame."
You also see changes in rhythm — less fragmentation, more focus, more alignment. "When a team begins to 'sound' like itself again, you know the narrative work has taken root." These qualitative shifts are often more telling than quantitative metrics, as they reflect deeper changes in team dynamics.
Question 5: What's one misconception about narrative consulting that you find yourself addressing most often with potential clients?
The most common misconception is that narrative consulting is about telling a nice story or creating a communication piece. "In reality, it's about working with the structures that shape how people think, collaborate, and make sense of their work."
Ferran offers a powerful reframe: "Narrative isn't decoration — it's architecture. When teams understand the narrative forces shaping their behavior, they can reorganize themselves with much more clarity and intention." This distinction is crucial for leaders considering narrative approaches, as it shifts the focus from surface-level messaging to deep structural change. For more on this, see this exploration of narrative as organizational infrastructure.