2.5 Horror stories
Jackson (2022) worked with Gabriel’s genre framework in her research of the experiences of Black leaders in the UK, but found that the framework did not capture the full range of what her participants had told her. She therefore added the category of horror, one that evoked a sense of dread, an inability to escape violence, and being driven to mental ill-health by the cruelty of fellow human beings. Typically these stories begin in childhood experiences of racist bullying; they continue through covert and overt displays of racism in the workplace, repeated to varying degrees of intensity depending on the context. Whereas tragic stories deal in questions of (in)justice, horror stories are more psychotic in nature, depicting naked cruelty and an unforgiving, unrelenting brutality. Such stories are common in the Black UK experience, Jackson says, acting as reminders of the importance of an alternative and positive Black leadership. Horror cannot be reformed, instead it has to be confronted and defeated.
The interesting lesson from most horror stories – in fiction or in real life – is the importance of collective action and sticking together. Horror tries to isolate people and pick them off one by one. Horror is very personal, exploiting a person’s fears and vulnerabilities. Sharing horror stories among colleagues can help surface the commonalities of experience, enabling groups to analyse the power at work. From this basis, people can plan how they could work together to show solidarity as horror is confronted. Just as in fiction, horror is only overcome through collective action.
Now that you have studied the nature and importance of genres, you will consider how stories can be put to use in leadership practice more explicitly.