Anthropology – the study of people, culture, and everyday life – finds a unique application in the business world. anthropological theories and methods to address real business challenges. In this blog post, we explore the evolving approach of business anthropologists as storytellers and their role in understanding and interpreting cultural worlds in a discipline that encourages the use of stories to communicate how people make sense of the world they inhabit.
As a seasoned business anthropologist who has spent a decade immersing myself in the contextual environments of business customers, I have honed my skills in understanding how they derive meaning and make decisions. My objective is to share compelling stories with B2B clients about their customers. To achieve this, I employ a research toolkit consisting of four phases: Planning, Information Gathering, Evaluation, and Feedback.
The Planning Phase:
Sets the foundation for the research process. It involves identifying and defining the business problem, selecting appropriate anthropological research methods, considering existing research, and creating a discussion guideline. However, this phase extends beyond mere preparation for delivering research. Business anthropologists should see it as an opportunity to delve deeper into their clients’ world and communicate in their language.
The Information Gathering Phase:
Business anthropologists enter the field and become recipients of stories in this phase. These stories may be fragmented, encompassing various aspects of everyday life or cultural nuances. Here, the role of business anthropologists is to listen attentively and observe keenly, with the aim of transforming these stories into written or spoken ethnographies to be shared with clients.
The Evaluation Phase:
This phase requires analytical and narrative labour. Business anthropologists sit down to write their ethnographies, facing the challenge of where to begin. The key is to start with the story that raises questions and reveals the human truth. Moreover, this phase should not be limited to the anthropologist alone; it presents an opportunity for collaboration with the client, exchanging valuable information, and even comparing stories.
The Feedback Phase:
The phase marks the culmination of the research process. Unfortunately, it is often an opportunity missed by business anthropologists to effectively convey the stories that bring material, data, beliefs, and theories to life. Instead, we tend to focus on demonstrating the thoroughness of our research, neglecting the power of storytelling. Renowned Australian anthropologist, Michael Taussig, highlights that stories are not merely a means to an end but the essence of our discipline. Taussig stipulates, “we tell stories to get to the point, to make our points. But we miss that the stories are the point. They are the getting, and they are the there”.
Business anthropology offers a fresh perspective by applying anthropological methods to address real business challenges. By embracing the role of storytellers, business anthropologists can unlock the power of stories, and foster a deeper understanding of cultural worlds. Through careful planning, immersive information gathering, meticulous evaluation, and impactful feedback, business anthropologists can provide valuable insights to their clients and create meaningful connections. Let us remember that in storytelling, the stories themselves are the point—they are the journey and the destination.
Written by Chiedza Gwanzura, Business Anthropology Manager at Demographica and co-founder of the Labyrinth Behaviour Collective.