The Power of Metaphors When Introducing Change Initiatives

Edwin* studied the faces staring back at him from the townhall audience. The company had recently churned through two CEOs in quick succession, and now as the third CEO, Edwin could feel the skepticism radiating from every row. Arms crossed. Eyes glazed. The polite but distant attention of people who had heard it all before.

He had spent weeks perfecting his transformation initiative presentation. A global consulting firm had validated the approach. The slides were crisp, the data compelling, the logic sound. But as he clicked through market share analyses and competitive positioning frameworks, he could feel the energy draining from the room.

Follow-up interviews by HR revealed that the majority of Edwin’s audience couldn’t recall key points from his presentation. The issue wasn’t that people didn’t understand his strategy—it was that they didn’t feel it.

When Edwin invited me to work with his senior leadership team on the culture transformation project, it wasn’t hard to diagnose the issue. Even when they’re equipped with strong datapoints and frameworks and supported by strategic communication teams, CEOs’ ideas don’t always land with the rest of the company.

Strategic change communications don’t fail just because of cognitive overload, but often because they lack a compelling narrative that creates emotional resonance. Research on storytelling has given us overwhelming evidence that stories and narratives help convey meaning beyond PowerPoint decks, creating an emotional connection with the audience. As Frances Frei and Anne Morriss demonstrate in their article, “Storytelling That Drives Bold Change,” effective strategic narratives require “crafting a story so clear and compelling that it will harness your organization’s energy and direct it toward change.” Change can be scary, which can lead to “fight, freeze, or flight” responses in our brains. While data appeals to our sense of logic, stories can help calm the threat response from the amygdala (the part of the brain that governs the fight-or-flight responses).

However, busy executives often lack the time, skills, and runway needed to craft full-fledged storylines, transformation heroes, and relatable characters. They also worry that stories can feel disconnected from the urgent, analytical nature of their impending turnaround situations. This is where strategic metaphors can be a powerful alternative.

The Metaphor as a Strategic Act of Leadership

Metaphors are based on principles of storytelling but take less time to explain and develop than a full narrative. A metaphor can act as a shortcut bridge, getting people across the chasm of complexity to clarity faster.

In their seminal work, “Metaphors We Live By,” George Lakoff and Mark Johnson showed that “metaphor is a fundamental mechanism of mind” that systematically transfers relationships from familiar domains to abstract concepts, reducing complexity and enhancing communication. Neuroscience reveals that metaphors create fixed neural systems in the brain that enable efficient processing of complex ideas through established patterns rather than lengthy explanations. And their power has been recognized beyond business: Metaphors bring abstract scientific ideas to life, and researchers now use the conceptual metaphor theory and reasoning to train AI systems to be able to communicate with humans more effectively.

In fast-paced, high-stakes transformation efforts, strategic metaphors aren’t fluff—they’re focused interventions that calm the brain, coordinate energy, and clarify direction. Robert Hill and Michael Levenhagen demonstrated that leaders coping with ambiguity must develop a mental model of how the environment works (i.e., “sensemaking”) and communicate this vision to gain support (i.e., “sensegiving”), with metaphor development serving as a critical stage in the process. Research confirms that metaphors reduce uncertainty about abstract concepts, with the effects particularly pronounced when ambiguity is high.

Metaphors provide practical tools for organizational change when time pressure and resistance may be high. Strategic metaphors create what Karl Weick calls “cognitive maps,” helping people categorize competitors, understand resources, and identify cause-and-effect relationships within a single, memorable framework.

The right metaphor doesn’t just describe the journey—it defines it. It signals what matters, who we’re becoming, and how we’ll get there—together. Crafting a strategic metaphor is not a creative indulgence; it’s a leadership act.

Our Neurological Response to Transformation Initiatives

To understand how effective metaphors can jumpstart your transformation initiative, we must first understand the neurological response such initiatives create. Transformation initiatives trigger the audience’s threat-detection system. David Rock’s SCARF model reveals why: Our minds constantly monitor five domains—Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness—for danger. In transformation initiatives, SCARF can play out in the following manner:

Status threats emerge because strategic change initiatives fundamentally present a map to a new organizational order—one where roles shift, resources are reallocated, previous plans are halted or substantially altered, and power is redistributed across the hierarchy. Employees instinctively recognize that transformation creates winners and losers, triggering immediate self-preservation responses that cause people to reject change efforts before evaluating their strategic merit.

Certainty threats multiply when strategic shifts involve significant operational changes or new business models. Uncertainty about the future creates paralyzing anxiety that prevents teams from focusing on execution, as people spend mental energy worrying about what might happen rather than acting on what needs to happen.

Autonomy threats surface when transformation feels imposed from above. People need control over how change affects them. When new directions are presented as fait accompli, employees mentally check out or actively undermine implementation, sabotaging even well-designed strategies.

Relatedness threats appear when transformation initiatives emphasize individual accountability without reinforcing team bonds. If change efforts make people feel like they’re competing against colleagues rather than external challenges, or if they make people feel like they’re left to navigate the demands of change on their own, that sense of isolation can slow down the momentum needed for change. In other words, collaboration suffers precisely when it’s needed most.

Fairness threats activate when people doubt whether transformation success is truly attainable and fair, or if everyone will share equitably in the rewards. Past disappointments in the tenure of other CEOs made Edwin’s team skeptical that “this time will be different,” creating resistance rooted in experience rather than an analysis of the robustness of his strategy.

The Birth of a Metaphor: A Backstage Journey

Faced with a tight timeline and wary of triggering cynicism with yet another data-heavy presentation, Edwin’s team chose a different path for the next townhall. They reframed the entire turnaround effort using a single metaphor—one that directly addressed the SCARF-related threats circulating in the organization.

Using data from focus groups and employee engagement surveys, they identified their primary SCARF threat: Status. Frequent leadership changes had created deep status anxiety—people felt like they were in a holding pattern. They needed a metaphor that would elevate rather than diminish their sense of importance.

Edwin and team positioned the transformation as a mission to claim long-overdue respect for their national division from the global headquarters. This wasn’t just about improving performance—it was about winning. The internal global awards, held annually across the firm, had seen smaller markets take the crown before, but never this particular country. Thus, the metaphor “Get the Cup Home” was born. It became a rallying cry for redemption and rightful recognition—a shortcut to pride, purpose, and shared contribution. Everyone had a role to play in the pursuit. Edwin’s team understood their business and had the skills to succeed, but they lacked cross-silo coordination and a shared belief in the proposed new changes. They needed a metaphor that acknowledged existing capability while pointing toward excellence that required a joint effort from all.

The results were remarkable. For the first time in company history, the region reached semi-finalist status in the global rankings. Local pride was reignited. Performance momentum grew—and sustained. More than just a communication device, the metaphor embedded itself as a catalyst for lasting cultural change.

Why the Metaphor Worked

The “Get the Cup Home” metaphor systematically defused other emotional threats beyond status. Certainty increased through concrete, visualizable success criteria. The cup metaphor provided emotional certainty about what victory would look like. Autonomy expanded as teams gained freedom to develop local “training regimens” while staying aligned with the championship mission. Relatedness strengthened through a “one national team” mentality. Instead of competing internally, everyone became teammates working toward collective victory. Fairness improved by positioning the challenge as finally getting deserved recognition. Victory wasn’t just possible—it was overdue.

When actions don’t follow words, metaphors can be empty rhetoric. That’s why resource allocation, check-ins, standards of behavior, and appraisals must start aligning with the invitation set by the metaphor. In Edwin’s case, teams used scorecards to track process improvements. Joint projects were created between departments and were measured on how quickly their new initiatives reached the market. This created urgency around hitting targets quickly to allow the company to qualify for the global awards.

They also consistently reinforced the metaphor across communications, highlighting concrete applications, thereby connecting the metaphor to daily work. For instance, they referred to project milestones as “winning plays” in team meetings and called rapid problem-solving sessions “championship huddles.” They also celebrated metaphor-consistent behaviors—for example, publicly recognizing teams who accelerated timelines as “MVP performers” and highlighting collaborative wins as “team victories” in company newsletters. Leaders were encouraged to take ownership of setbacks as a team without pointing fingers at the other departments. In meetings, an expectation was set to actively lobby for resources for other teams—not just one’s own team.

Strategic Metaphors Work Across Industries

Edwin’s success wasn’t a one-off fluke. Strategic metaphors work across diverse transformation contexts when properly matched to the audience and situation.

Consider this example: When a manufacturing company I advised rolled out its first fully digital factory shop floor, teams were overwhelmed by the complexity and novelty of the situation. Leadership assigned each team a mission-critical role in a “rocket launch” for what they called their “moonshot” of achieving a reduction in production time with the help of the highly automated factory floor. The metaphor extended to:

• “Fueling,” which IT teams used to provide data infrastructure and connectivity and HR used to ensure that people weren’t getting burned out.

• “Trajectory control,” which operations managers used to monitor workflow optimization.

• “Mission command,” the metaphor used to describe senior leadership coordinating between departments and making real-time strategic decisions.

Teams were given a particular role in the ultimate mission the company was chasing: launching this automated plant in record time to raise the production in the region. The metaphor transformed chaos into coordination, giving everyone a clear, exciting role in a shared mission. The unknown became an adventure rather than a threat.

Or consider the example of a Fortune 500 financial company I worked with where teams felt like they were akin to order-takers from clients, rather than true transformation partners. The CEO was keen to reposition the way services were offered to clients, so the company offered new solutions that required the collaboration of teams such as risk management, product engineering, and client relationship management. The goal was to diagnose and treat clients’ needs at a deeper level. Leadership repositioned the employees as “physicians” diagnosing complex financial issues for clients by taking a multi-dimensional, holistic approach. Thus, they became “The Physicians of the Payments World.” The metaphor restored professional pride and gave teams permission to focus on strategic, diagnostic thinking rather than procedural tasks.

How to Choose a Strategic Metaphor

To determine the right type of strategic metaphor to use in your own change initiative, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Which threat am I calming?

For example, if status is the concern, choose metaphors that elevate importance—like “elite forces,” “master craftspeople,” or “the A-Team.”

2. Is this known or unknown terrain?

For familiar challenges, use metaphors that acknowledge experience while pointing toward elevated performance—like “championship level” for experienced teams. For example: “We’re moving from varsity to championship level—same game, higher stakes, greater precision.” For unfamiliar territory, use exploration metaphors that emphasize discovery and adventure. For example: “We’re pioneers mapping new territory—every challenge we solve creates the path for others to follow.”

3. Will the metaphor travel?

Test whether your metaphor works across teams, levels, and cultures. The best strategic metaphors are those that middle managers can easily translate without losing emotional impact. Universal concepts like competition (“championship team”), exploration (“pioneers”), and healing (“diagnosing,” “prescribing solutions”) travel better than culture-specific references like “hitting it out of the park” (baseball-specific) or “punt the ball” (American football–specific). One CEO I advised was fond of using a golfing handicap as a metaphor, which was understood only by those who played golf.

4. Is it easy to recall and share?

Transformation already puts a strain on people’s cognitive and emotional resources, and expecting employees to recall complex acronyms or slick consulting frameworks does not help. Keep it simple. Examples of memorable metaphors might be a lighthouse (guiding others), bridge builders (connecting teams), or gardeners (nurturing growth).

. . .

In a world where strategy is often forgotten before the slides fade from the screen, strategic metaphors can be your leadership shortcut to memory, meaning, and momentum. They don’t just help people understand change—they help them feel it, all while providing a cognitive map that helps address the neurological threats that can emerge with change.

As you plan your next transformation, don’t just ask, “What’s our strategy?” Ask, “What metaphor will make people want to carry our strategy forward?”

Let the metaphor do the heavy lifting.

*Name has been changed for privacy.

Copyright 2025 Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation. Distributed by The New York Times Syndicate.

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