William Labov's research on oral narrative identified six structural elements that appear across stories in every culture: abstract, orientation, complicating action, evaluation, resolution, and coda.

The evaluation is the critical piece — it's where the narrator establishes what the story means. Who succeeded. Who overcame what. Who deserves credit.

In organisations, the person who controls the evaluation controls the interpretation of events. The structure of a story isn't decoration. It's where power lives.