Anthropologists don't study engineering or finance, which
begs this question: Why are companies like
Intel and Wells Fargo
hiring them? Because the fundamental question in business is, what
do people want? And face it, humans are strange creatures; if they
weren't, anthropologists wouldn't have jobs. Here's Marsha Shenk, a
business anthropologist, explaining what early humans can teach us.
- Tracy Staton
Why is there so much interest in business
anthropology?
Because everyone's trying to
innovate. Since the first human community, people have been
figuring out things they hadn't been able to do … [Unfortunately]
today's leaders aren't in great shape to set that up.
How did people do it in the
past?
They'd notice that, say, I'm able to
throw stones at a predator, but I don't remember which herbs are
good for a sick child, and you do. I'd ask you for help, and you'd
ask me. People would set up exchanges, so they'd get to do what
they did well and get help with what they didn't.
Sounds great. Why don't we operate that
way?
It's counterintuitive. Most modern Westerners go
to schools that teach us to know the answers rather than to be
grateful for what others know.
What should savvy managers do,
then?
Make it easy for people to make offers to
each other. Make it easy for people to admit they aren't doing
something well. Then people can do their best work together.
Find out more at
www.bestwork.org.
I Feel like Somebody's Watching
Me
Wondering how an anthropologist could help your company? Just take
a look at these three successful case studies.
1 A new CEO at Pfizer
Pharmaceutical wanted company scientists to operate differently,
but they balked. Anthropologist Marsha Shenk asked them what they'd
define as a more effective operation. The scientists realized that
ever since they were grad students, they'd been in business to keep
their projects funded for as long as possible - because in science,
funding is a status symbol. But in business, it's more efficient to
kill projects that don't show potential for big financial payoffs.
About-face! They moved from judging themselves by how long they
could string a project along to how quickly they could quash
it.
2 After observing,
recording, and videotaping families at breakfast, anthropologist
Susan Squires realized that moms want their kids to eat nutritious
food, dads prefer to eat comfort food that reminds them of
childhood, and kids want to eat fun or sweet food (like cereal that
turns the milk blue). Plus, everyone eats on the go. So Squires
recommended developing a breakfast food that was healthy, portable,
and fun. The result? Go-Gurt, which brought in $37 million during
its first year in the dairy section.
3 A small hotel chain wanted to pull a
Madonna and remake its identity. A team of anthropologists observed
guests for days, recording words and body language. They also
handed out disposable cameras and then used the pictures from them
to get guests to talk about their trips. One finding: The hotels
essentially ignored kids. Now when families arrive, the hotels
check in the kids instead of the parents. That and other changes
have boosted the chain's leisure business by some $500,000.
Sources: Marsha Shenk, the National Association for the Practice of
Anthropology, and Inc. Magazine.