American stories seep into American Management. A goal and a way figure prominently in them. Goals are to be reached with as few resources as possible. Not even time can be wasted, for time is money. Think of The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy must follow a yellow brick path to rid herself of her conundrum. “The Little Engine That Could” also had a goal— to carry toys over a mountain, but she could only run on steel rails. Coppola's Captain Willard of Apocalypse Now can only chase Coronel Kurtz on a river. Obsessed with killing Moby Dick, Captain Ahab's path to his “fixed purpose is laid with iron rails, whereon [his] soul is grooved to run.” The protagonist of The Old Man and the Sea must catch a large fish to compensate for the almost three months with no catch, but large fish are in deep waters that can best be reached by sailing straight out from the shore. Even in the Coyote and the Roadrunner cartoons, the Coyote cannot take a shortcut to catch the Roadrunner, the Coyote too must run on a road.

Stories like these nurture the mindset that characterizes American management. But stories differ across the world, leading to different attitudes at work. Where the achievement of goals are not as prevalent, nor the way to reach them so well defined, stories tend to stress conviviality during the journey together, as in a pilgrimage, when reaching the goal is frequently perceived as an anticlimax.

In such societies, usually of a more collectivist bent, working together nurtures the sense of communitas, rather than the protagonist ego, rendering less effective much of the American managerial toolkit, such as sought in alignment through individual incentives.

Inasmuch as stories provide us with leading characters of high mimetic value, we will be safe. Safe in the sense that common folk who have decided to act out these behavioral codes will not be in short supply and will be readily recognizable by their willing followers. Both heroes and followers will interact in ways that make it clear to all who is likely to behave as the leader. Once the storm arrives, this highly mimetic character will take the reins in his hands and do what needs to be done.