DescriptionWar stories in organizations are not literal stories of international military conflict, although they do tell of trials and troubles and how people survived and overcame the events that afflicted them.War stories are typically told at meetings, conferences, and social settings, where old and young corporate warriors swap tales of what trials they survived and how hard it was, much as their military counterparts may tell and re-tell of their exploits.ExampleBill Gates and Steve Jobs never quite got along. Over the course of 30-plus years, the two went from cautious allies to bitter rivals to something almost approaching friends — sometimes, they were all three at the same time. It seems unlikely that Apple would be where it is today without Microsoft, or Microsoft without Apple. Their story here.But when we reminisce, it's more about how life felt "in those days." We worked long hours, didn't get paid well, there were public arguments, backstabbing, sabotage--and through it all there were foxhole buddies that helped us through.DiscussionWar stories are typically told as ways of nostalgic invocation of past trials. When told with old colleagues, they re-affirm bonds of friendship and shared experience. When told to younger colleagues, they may demonstrate authority or other superiority, giving evidence of their prowess. When a younger person tells the story, perhaps they are saying 'Hey, I'm a tough guy too!'By re-telling the stories, the teller also re-experiences them, gaining again the sense of excitement and danger, though now within a safe present.War stories may also be told as a form of bragging, and competitions may arise as the warriors try to out-do each other with increasingly amazing stories (and maybe increasing elaboration).