On December 4-5, 2024, Motive International hosted strategists, practitioners, software engineers, and researchers at the University of Mississippi's National Center for Narrative Intelligence for a Narrative Constructs in Joint Operations working group, a collaborative forum focused on examining the role of narrative as a strategic tool in modern military and information operations.  

Co-hosted by EdgeTheory and the University of Mississippi's National Center for Narrative Intelligence, this event marked a pivotal step into advancing the integration of storytelling into joint operational frameworks. 

In an era of heightened global competition and evolving information warfare, crafting and deploying effective narratives is essential to shaping perceptions, influencing behaviors, and fostering unity of action. The comprehensive output from this working group is now available for download at the bottom of this article.

Introducing the Working Group

Motive International’s Narrative Constructs in Joint Operations event produced a detailed synthesis of insights, frameworks, and recommendations. This document provides an in-depth look at how narratives function as strategic tools, offering practical guidance for their development, deployment, and assessment. 

Key highlights include: 

• Narrative Taxonomies – A structured classification system to categorize narratives by a specific “function,” including Identity, Relational, Event, Issue, and Action Narratives. 

• Assessment Frameworks – Metrics and models for evaluating narrative effectiveness, such as the Hierarchy of Psychological Effects Model (HPEM), Measures of Performance (MOP), and Measures of Effectiveness (MOE). 

• Practical Recommendations – Strategies to overcome doctrinal gaps, organizational silos, and training deficiencies, ensuring narratives are impactful and measurable. 

This resource equips policymakers, practitioners, and operational planners with tools to analyze, deploy, and assess narratives effectively in complex operational environments, conduct narrative analysis, and coordinate effectively with partners. 

Methodology: Designing and Testing Narrative Frameworks 

The working group employed a structured methodology to ensure the development of actionable and adaptable narrative frameworks: 

1. Heuristic Approaches: Teams were assigned differing heuristics—top-down strategic, bottom-up socio-cultural, and hybrid methods. These approaches guided teams in exploring narratives from different vantage points, ensuring a balanced and comprehensive perspective. 

   1. Teams that started with the bottom-up socio-cultural approach to narrative development all converged on the importance of internally held identity narratives. 

   2. Teams that were assigned a top-down approach consistently produced more considerations for process and implementation. 

2. Collaborative Workshops: Despite being assigned different heuristics, each team was provided with the same questions to consider in the three collaborative sessions. These collaborative sessions provided opportunities for brainstorming, peer-to-peer feedback, and iterative development. The questions asked were: 

   1. What are the major types or taxonomies of narratives as they pertain to joint operations? 

   2. What are the measurable components of each type of narrative? 

   3. How should narrative be employed for effect at strategic, operational, and tactical levels? 

   4. What are the DOTMLPF-P factors impeding the implementation of those concepts of employment? 

   5. What are the societal and governmental factors impeding the implementation of those concepts of employment? 

   6. How might narrative impact be assessed in light of the hierarchy of psychological effects model? (HPEM). 

   7. How can we divide narrative frameworks and taxonomies into smaller, usable components for assessments? 
      
      

   Participants were also asked to consider the following components when constructing recommendations and frameworks: 

   Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis: Assessments incorporated qualitative tools such as thematic analysis and psychological modeling, along with quantitative metrics for measuring narrative reach, uptake, and virality. 

   Narrative Embodiment: How does a narrative move from the idea space to expression within physical reality? 

   Operational Employment: How might a narrative be developed, coordinated, and employed at various operational echelons? 

   Temporal Spatial Considerations: How are proposed narrative taxonomies affected by time and space considerations? How does this affect assessment? 

   Refinement and Synthesis: Insights from each team were synthesized into unified frameworks and recommendations, prioritizing adaptability, scalability, and alignment with existing joint doctrine. 

Team Distinctives in Outputs 

Each team brought a unique lens to the development of narrative constructs. Key distinctions include: 

• Team 1: Focused on a top-down strategic approach, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration and process-driven implementation. Their taxonomy categorized narratives into theological, economic, historical/cultural, and geographic types, prioritizing adaptability. 

• Team 2: Embraced a bottom-up socio-cultural methodology, emphasizing identity, relational, issues, event, and action narratives. They stressed the importance of time, space, and agency in narrative design. 

• Team 3: Developed a nested narrative structure aligning strategic, operational, and tactical narratives with national goals. Their approach emphasized coherence, measurement, and adaptability across levels. 

• Team 4: Highlighted audience-centric design with narrative types focused on behavioral/belief, identity, and goals. Their output stressed measurable psychological impacts and targeted interventions. 

• Team 5: Took an independent perspective, framing narratives around the conflict continuum (cooperation, crisis, conflict, and competition). They emphasized flexibility and alignment with Political Military, Environmental, Social, Infrastructure, Information, Physical Environment, and Time (PMESII-PT) and Diplomatic, Economic, Military, and Informational (DIME) variables for assessment.
  

Key Takeaways: Building Narrative Frameworks 

Taxonomy of Narratives 

Teams developed frameworks not only to categorize narratives by function and focus but also to demonstrate their practical application in shaping perceptions, influencing behaviors, and aligning actions across operational levels.. Some of the primary taxonomies included: 

• Identity Narratives – Grounded in cultural, historical, or religious identity, these narratives shape self-conception and collective belonging. 

• Relational Narratives – Highlighting relationships between actors, these narratives emphasize cooperation, competition, or conflict. 

• Event Narratives – Focused on specific incidents, these stories capture cause-and-effect dynamics to frame actions. 

• Issue Narratives – Addressing broader topics, such as policy debates or social movements, to influence public discourse. 

• Action Narratives – Promoting behaviors or responses, these narratives inspire specific actions or interventions. 

This layered taxonomy allows practitioners to map narratives against operational needs, ensuring coherence and adaptability across strategic, operational, and tactical levels. 

Download the Full Output 

Motive International’s Narrative Constructs in Joint Operations event showcased the transformative power of narratives when wielded with precision and purpose. By aligning strategy with cultural context, tailoring stories to specific audiences, and embedding assessments into deployment plans, practitioners can achieve measurable, lasting influence. 

Download the full synthesis of findings and recommendations now here: