Expert Q&A: Dr. Andrea Simon, PhD on Corporate Anthropology
Jan 21st, 2009 by admin
Anthropology. When I hear the word I think of science – the science of people or the convergence of science and society. It is a field that has always mystified me in a “What is this all about?” kind of way. That’s why I’m so fascinated with the emerging field known as corporate anthropology – which has beneficial applications in the world of entrepreneurship. From knowing thy customer better to creating more targeted business plans, corporate anthropology can help you achieve your goals, embrace change and recognize opportunities that you might not see otherwise. Here’s more from Dr. Andrea Simon, PhD, corporate anthropologist and consultant:
What is corporate anthropology?
Dr. Simon: Anthropologists are social scientists who study culture and society - people’s values, beliefs and behavior - through systematic observation which is called ethnographic research. Ethnographic research is heavily dependent on observation and participation in such a way that anthropologists can better “see, feel and think” what people actually do.
Some of the earliest corporate users of anthropological research were Xerox, Motorola, Nokia, Emerson, Herman Miller and Microsoft. Healthcare systems and medical device companies are using corporate anthropologists to help them better see what actually happens in their care of patients. Marriott is redoing over 200 of their hotel lobbies to make them more functional and pleasing after anthropologists helped them realize what guests actually do in them.
How does this apply to entrepreneurs and small business owners?
Dr. Simon: The essence of good anthropological research is to help you cast aside your biases and listen and observe with truly wide open minds. For entrepreneurs and small business owners, the trick is to find a way to get past your own assumptions and certainties and go “exploring” into the field with, or perhaps without, an ethnographer to help you see in new ways. You will find that if you video tape a potential customer or several of them you might find things that you had not expected at all. Perhaps you might watch them actually use your service or product. If you listen to personal stories you will learn the implicit values and beliefs come through.
How do you help businesses accept, address and implement change?
Dr. Simon: Change isn’t easy for people to accept. Humans are most comfortable when they are in familiar territory doing things in habitual ways that are reinforced by their peers and their culture. Academic study doesn’t train people how to innovate or change. Four things to keep in mind about change:
- This is going to hurt - change is literally pain. The working memory of the brain has to spend a lot of energy when it is learning something new and the chemistry creates the equivalent of pain. The brain would be much happier if it could rely on the hard-wiring and mental maps that have been learned, practiced and become habits.
- You need more than just a plan. For you to change your company’s business model, strategy or product line you need to have more than just a new plan or a training day. Research suggests you need at least four things to get you there: some motivational, educational or training, a change in organizational design and functionality, changes in compensation or recognition. They must all work together or you will end up with more chaos than progress.
- Third, you need focus and repetition. The brain and the business culture change best through concentration and repeated practice to rewire memory.
- Finally, best to have a professional coach or a trainer or good change managers. They help you and your folks see where you are going and keep you on the path to get you there.
Yogi Berra once said that you can observe a lot by just watching. Why does observation play a critical role?
Dr Simon: This is about putting aside assumptions and expectations. This is about going beyond the familiar and noting everything from body language, interpersonal relations, facial statements and passing comments. You will gain your “aha” moments from the unexpected insights you gain from sitting back and watching, listening and gathering new information.
For example, I took a team of managers from a healthcare system to spend a day in the life of a patient and another in the day of a doctor to “see, feel and think” about their customers and stakeholders. They discovered they were out of touch with reality. From their observations came new and well-designed solutions to previously unresolved problems. If you want to better understand the skills and capabilities of your own staff, spend a “day in the life” of your own company, become a customer and see how it feels.
Can corporate anthropology help entrepreneurs improve their businesses and increase sales? If so, how?
Dr. Simon: Spend a day shadowing your best and worst sales people to learn how they listen to a prospect and convert them into a successful sale or not. If you just listened what could you learn? And how could you then capitalize on their strengths?
If you don’t have an in-person sales process but you are an online solution, take a few people and invite them to a lab and film what occurs. Ask them to go to your site and buy something. First ask them to tell you what they are going to do, what they are doing and then go back and watch the tapes and see what actually happens. You might find your wonderful site is great for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) but not well designed for a sale. And there is no way you could learn that without observing.
If you have a retail operation, hire some observers to carefully and quietly trail people around the store. See how your layout helps or hinders their buying experience. See how the check-out process performs. Does it create the wrong or the right flow for it to work well for both the consumer and the retailer?
Perhaps you are a B2B operator. The observation and culture probes, listening and watching work equally well for you to learn more about how a customer or a nonuser gets their problems solved with you, or chooses a competitor or even an alternative because you aren’t on their radar screen.
In general, anthropology is the study of cultures. Are there certain corporate cultures that have been documented and well defined? Is every business unique in this respect?
Dr. Simon: Every business has its own culture. Consider the clashes that can occur when two companies merge. That said, there are certain traits that companies can share. For instance, some companies excel at innovation while others are rules-driven and resist change.
Specifically, what can a company expect when hiring a corporate anthropologist?
Dr. Simon: By working with a corporate anthropologist, companies will get a better sense of who they are, who they can become as well as what they do and what they can do even better in the future.
Henry Ford once said “If I asked people how to improve their transportation they would have told me to make their horses go faster.” So, try not to ask them. Go spend a day with them and see it for yourself. Or hire an anthropologist to be your eyes and ears. Go exploring. You might truly enjoy the adventure.
Dr. Simon invites you learn more about the benefits and practical applications of corporate anthropology. Visit her Web site or feel free to send her an email at asimon @ simonassociates.net (no spaces).
Glad I found this site - I’m finding the content very useful - thanks!