Eva Tomas Casado clip2 from the Long-Term Strategy Conference
In this short presentation, the speaker argues that every individual and collective—whether in a corporation, community, or nation—operates on underlying narratives and metaphors that shape perception and behavior. Drawing from a post‑merger facilitation exercise, participants were asked to describe their companies as animals. One side chose an elephant, symbolizing a long‑standing, traditional, memory‑rich organization, while the other chose a tiger, evoking agility, aggression, and a newer identity. This contrast exposed a hidden cultural gap that polite, paper‑based agreements had missed. The speaker emphasizes that such deep, image‑based narratives are difficult to articulate in logical language but are crucial for genuine understanding and successful change. Surface‑level discussions, especially when communicating long‑term visions, are likely to fail unless leaders first uncover the metaphors and past narratives that employees carry, and then integrate the valuable elements of those narratives into future strategies to foster engagement and comfort.
