Summary 

Most leaders believe celebrity happens to them. Our research, published in the Journal of Management Studies, suggests something different: organizations can actively shape whether public attention focuses on the CEO, the organization itself, or both. They do so through strategic choices in how they tell their stories. Understanding these narrative levers could change how you communicate. 

What We Studied and Why It Matters 

When Elon Musk launches a SpaceX rocket, observers celebrate Elon. When Netflix announces a major strategic pivot, the organization dominates headlines. What determines whose star shines brightest? 

This question matters because celebrity (which is defined as high levels of public attention and positive emotional responses) has real consequences. Research shows that CEO and organizational celebrity produce different outcomes. While organizational celebrity can facilitate stakeholders’ positive interpretations of firm performance, individual celebrity may lead to CEO overconfidence and risky decision-making.  

Yet despite decades of research on how celebrities emerge, we’ve lacked a clear understanding of why celebrity settles at a specific locus (the individual leader, the organization, or both). 

How We Approached the Problem 

We drew on narrative theory to understand how organizational communications shape audience interpretations. The key theoretical premise: audiences don’t passively consume your messages. Instead, they actively construct meaning from the stories you tell. Specifically, from what you tell them (the narrative story) and how you tell it (the narrative discourse). Building on this, we developed a theoretical framework explaining how narrative elements influence celebrity locus.  

What We Found: The Narrative Levers 

Our theory identified several critical narrative elements that organizations can strategically deploy: 

Main Characters: Center Stage Matters 

The predominance of specific main characters in organizational narratives increases the likelihood that they will become the celebrity. Main characters become salient and cognitively accessible, making information about them easier to recall. More importantly, audiences process the emotional implications of narrative events based on the main character’s point of view, creating empathy and identification. 

Richard Branson’s prominence in Virgin Group communications naturally focuses celebrity on him. Netflix’s centering of the organization itself creates organizational celebrity. This can be a deliberate strategy, not an accident. 

Secondary Characters Create Unexpected Effects 

Here’s where strategy becomes sophisticated: the type of secondary character matters too. When communications pair main characters with mirrors (i.e., supporting characters who help the main character succeed) audience attention spills over to the mirror character, reducing focus on the main character. 

Conversely, when communications pair main characters with foils (i.e., antagonists they must overcome) audience attention and emotional arousal concentrate on the main character. The late Sergio Marchionne’s narratives of reforming a struggling Fiat exemplify this strategy perfectly. 

Plots Determine Attribution 

Perhaps most intriguingly, the consequences organizations highlight shape where audiences attribute success. Individual plots (focusing on a CEO’s personal transformation) facilitate individual celebrity. Organizational plots are more flexible, enabling both individual and organizational celebrity. Industry or societal plots (highlighting broader market impact) are most flexible, allowing concurrent celebrity where both the CEO and/or the organization share the spotlight. 

Who Tells the Story: The Narrator’s Voice 

Beyond who appears in your stories, who tells those stories matters too. When the main character themselves serves as the narrator (speaking in first-person using “I” or “we”) it amplifies their prominence and the audience’s identification with them. This narrator voice creates internal access to the character’s thoughts and feelings, making audiences more likely to adopt their perspective and feel emotionally closer to them. Think of the difference between a CEO writing a personal blog post (“I built this company because…”) versus a corporate communications team writing press releases (“The company was founded when…”).  

Direct Address Amplifies Everything 

A particularly powerful idea: using second-person language (“you”) directly addresses audiences and amplifies all other narrative effects. Apple’s product launches, peppered with over 230 uses of “you” per hour, demonstrate this technique in action. This creates personal engagement that strengthens how other narrative elements influence celebrity locus. 

Actionable Takeaways 

First, get intentional. Don’t leave celebrity locus to chance or media interpretation. Deliberately choose whether you want individual, organizational, or concurrent celebrity, and align your narrative strategy accordingly. 

Second, audit for consistency. Review your press releases, social media, investor presentations, and product announcements. Do they tell a consistent story about who deserves credit? If not, you’re undermining your own narrative power. 

Third, understand your secondary characters. Who appears repeatedly in your organizational stories? Are they mirrors (supporting players) or foils (obstacles to overcome)? This choice shapes whether attention stays focused where you intend. 

Fourth, consider your plots. When highlighting organizational achievements, which consequences do you emphasize? Personal transformation? Organizational improvement? Market or societal impact? Each shape where audiences attribute success. 

Finally, use direct language. When appropriate, address your audience directly. This creates engagement that makes all other narrative elements more effective. 

Do These Ideas Matter? 

These insights apply far beyond corporate boardrooms. Any organization seeking to manage its public standing (whether a tech startup, nonprofit, university, or social enterprise) benefits from understanding how narrative choices shape perceptions. 

For organizational leaders: You now have a roadmap. Audit your communications. Who are your main characters? What plots dominate your storytelling? What secondary characters appear repeatedly? Are you sending consistent messages across channels? 

For communications professionals: This research provides a theoretical framework for strategic communication planning. Rather than intuitive choices, you can now intentionally align narrative elements with organizational goals. 

For governance and boards: If your concern is building an organization that outlasts its founder, this theory explains how a communication strategy either concentrates celebrity in individuals or builds it into the organization itself. 

Conclusion 

Organizations are not passive observers of their own celebrity stories. You can actively shape whether public attention and positive emotion flow to leaders, organizations, or both through deliberate narrative choices. In an era when organizations directly access audiences through social media, this narrative power has shifted from media gatekeepers to organizational communicators themselves. 

The question is no longer whether your organization will have a celebrity narrative. The question is: will you shape it strategically, or leave it to chance?