Narrative Strategy: Mobilizing Stakeholders
One of the most fascinating projects I’ve worked on involved a cross-industry initiative between three leading pharmaceutical companies. At first glance, collaboration seemed unlikely — these companies were direct competitors. But beneath the corporate rivalry was a shared commitment: advancing the industry toward better processes and scalable innovation.
Three Quality Assurance (QA) VPs came together, backed by their professional organization, determined to change the status quo of how drug development quality was reported. It was a massive undertaking — but one made possible through narrative strategy.
Over the course of three months, we crafted a North Star Narrative that was ultimately approved by their professional organization and used as the foundation for engaging regulatory bodies worldwide. The North Star Narrative became the collaborative framework that aligned internal teams, built consensus across companies, and opened the door to co-creating new QA standards with regulators.
Here’s how we made it happen:
1. Engage through Story-listening
With the endorsement of their professional organization, the three VPs volunteered to lead the initiative. I facilitated both group and individual conversations to surface the motivations, challenges, and aspirations behind their drive for change.
Individually, their experiences sounded like common frustrations with outdated regulatory hurdles. But collectively, a more powerful narrative emerged: the possibility of delivering safe, effective drugs faster by embracing advanced technologies. By weaving together these shared threads, we articulated a clear, urgent case for innovation.
2. Align through Storytelling
Through collaborative narrative design sessions, we developed a North Star Narrative that captured the ethos, logos, and pathos of their shared vision.
These QA leaders had witnessed firsthand how new technologies could transform drug quality reporting — turning it from a slow, retrospective process into a real-time, proactive system. The North Star Narrative provided a common language and emotional anchor that united the three leaders. It gave them not just a shared goal, but a shared way to tell the story of that goal to others.
Before operational changes could be implemented, though, the leaders needed to secure broader buy-in — from their peers, their teams, and regulatory bodies.
3. Mobilize through Story-stewardship
Once finalized, the North Star Narrative became the cornerstone of mobilization. Each VP shared the narrative internally, gathering feedback and strengthening collective ownership. With their teams aligned, the three leaders formally presented the narrative to their professional organization, gaining endorsement and creating a unified voice for industry change.
Armed with a clear, compelling message, the QA leaders engaged regulatory bodies not as isolated companies, but as a united front. This narrative-led approach allowed regulators and industry leaders to engage in co-creative, future-focused conversations — accelerating progress rather than stalling it.
Through narrative strategy, leaders in a historically fragmented and cautious industry were able to drive bold innovation.
By crafting and stewarding a North Star Narrative, the pharmaceutical industry built unprecedented alignment around technological progress — advancing their ability to deliver safe, effective therapies faster than ever before.
While many assume competitors are destined to work against one another, this project proved that a shared story can create shared momentum — across companies, industries, and even regulators.
Ari Mostov is a narrative strategist. She helps leaders in regulated industries deliver bold innovation. Learn more: www.wellplay.world