The Untapped Power of Storytelling in High-Reliability Organizations

I recently led an anecdote circle at a large oil refinery. Eight highly experienced operators, trainers, and supervisors gathered around a table to share their stories about significant moments in their careers where they were challenged and had to troubleshoot during an upset. 

One operator recalled a time when a critical piece of equipment suddenly forced gallons of oil out onto the roadway. At the time, he didn’t know why it was happening; he was just told to grab a mop and get to work. Only years later did he learn the real cause was due to a failure in another part of the system upstream. Back then, the mindset was “clean up, keep quiet, and move on.” Looking back, he realized that if people throughout the plant had been able to share and connect the dots, many of those incidents might have been avoided. 

Over the course of two hours, the group shared story after story, each one a vivid reminder of challenges faced, mistakes made, and lessons learned. At the end of the session, the youngest worker in the group reflected that it was almost impossible to fathom the “keep it running” mindset he heard in the older stories, compared to today’s focus on safety and procedures. He also noted how hearing these stories underscored how far practices have improved, and that he wished novice operators could hear the stories that were shared. 

The experience highlighted the enormous untapped potential in capturing stories within high-reliability organizations, and showed why storytelling and psychological safety are so essential. When incidents are shared as stories, they break down knowledge silos and encourage learning across teams and organizational layers. 

When we bring this idea to representatives from other oil and gas companies, there is a sense of excitement in the air. They envision how stories could strengthen learning and performance in their plants. They describe strengthening the culture around learning, helping new workers get up to speed faster, and clarifying how procedures are actually achieved in practice. They see many opportunities within their existing work processes to inject storytelling, like safety standups, shift turnovers, and on-the-job training. These industry leaders recognize that stories can begin to fill the gaps between written rules and the realities of day-to-day operations.

Policies and procedures are essential for safe operations, but they have limits. One senior trainer described the issue as, “procedures aren’t real.”  Procedures cannot anticipate every variation, nor can they capture subtle cues and changing contexts that workers face every day in the field. These conditions evolve, and no procedure can keep up with every new challenge. 

Stories can help fill these gaps because they convey the why behind procedures. They also illustrate the boundary conditions where certain rules may apply and, importantly, where they fall short. We all likely have many personal driving stories that involve following our GPS instructions into a closed road or busy area. Through these experiences, we have learned when to ignore the GPS and exert our own judgment. Similarly, we have all heard the rule to obey the posted speed limit. Driving 55 miles per hour might be fine on a dry and clear day, but experienced drivers know to slow down on foggy and rainy mornings. Stories are all about highlighting the human element, like time urgency, competing priorities, and situational nuances that procedures and simple rules cannot fully capture. They help turn formal guidance into lived knowledge.  

Creating a culture around storytelling also offers indirect benefits to an organization. When workers feel safe to share mistakes and near misses, they can be transformed into learning opportunities for everyone. And when workers share their past experiences (including their missteps), it signals to others that it is okay to speak up. In anecdote circles, everyone is encouraged to speak and withhold their criticism and judgment. These opportunities allow everyone to learn and, in turn, build trust amongst the group. 

Sharing experiences through stories can be a powerful training tool. Many workers say that most of what they know was learned on the job. Yet as workplaces are becoming safer with increased automation and new tools, the number of incidents that require a worker to respond has decreased. Ironically, these advanced systems that minimize incidents also reduce opportunities for workers to learn from real-world challenges. As a result, newer workers may be less prepared to adapt when unpredictable problems arise. 

Seasoned operators, who have lived through more upsets, play an important role in bridging this gap. Their stories can accelerate learning and help newer workers build judgment before they face emergencies on their own. One veteran operator preparing for retirement recently told me that each day, something in the plant reminded him of an incident from his career. He had begun writing these reflections in his journal, capturing those lessons so he could pass them on to the colleague taking his place. Finding opportunities to share these insights in the context of the work can boost people’s knowledge and skills. These vicarious experiences offer a way for these new workers to experience more. 

The ability to capture and share stories is even more important for developing judgment and resilience in high-reliability organizations. But the impact of storytelling depends on how mature the organization is in making use of it. Brown-Grant (2022) describes different stages that range from ad hoc and isolated efforts to fully integrated practices where storytelling is embedded into strategy and daily operations.

The anecdote circle at the refinery showed what’s possible when people feel safe to share. The challenge now is for organizations to move beyond ad hoc storytelling toward more mature practices, where stories are intentionally captured, shared, and put into action. Every step toward that goal strengthens the culture of safety and resilience, builds trust, and ensures that lessons learned by one worker can prepare the next generation for whatever comes their way.

References

Brown-Grant, J. (2022). Knowledge Management and the Practice of Storytelling: The Competencies and Skills Needed for a Successful Implementation. Emerald Publishing Limited.