Rose works in the human resources department of Spartan, makers of athletic clothing, shoes, and accessories. Celebrity athletes are regularly spotted wearing Spartan gear, but the company's slogan-"For the Athlete in All of Us"-is designed to appeal to the ordinary buyers who account for a large portion of revenues. Rose has been assigned to train a group of new employees, and she intends to begin with an information talk that includes a story about the company. Given this information, the best choice for Rose would be an account of

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Stories such as the one Rose intends to include in her talk are a type of observable artifact, and as such can be a major mechanism through which leaders and employees describe what the company values or finds important. But a story has to truly be a story: as Paul Wiles, president/CEO of Novant Health, says, "Talk about numbers, and people's eyes glaze over; talk about one child who died unnecessarily, and no one can walk away from that." Recent research finds that telling newcomers stories of low-level employees upholding the values of the firm as opposed to high-level employees is more effective at transmitting culture and affecting their behavior. Hence tales about the company founder or another high-level executive are not as likely to have an impact as one about an ordinary worker. The store manager story is not very compelling (nor is he, the ordinary employee, the "hero" of the story), whereas the one about the wounded veteran competing in the Spartan Games exemplifies the company slogan, "For the Athlete in All of Us."

Rose Works in the Human Resources Department of Spartan, Makers