Finding the ValueMy Experience as an Anthropologist at a

Consultancy Firm

My Practicum Setup Southern Growth Studio

Consultancy Firm Growth Strategy and Innovation Design Thinking Methodology Business/Design Anthropology

My Practicum Setup Design Thinking

Empathy Define Ideation Prototype Test

Research Questions The Studio’s client “Children’s Hospital” Who participates in the fitness events of

interest? What are the differing motivations for

participation? What motivates participants to fundraise for

Children’s Hospital? What are the differences between those who

fundraise and those who do not?

Research Questions What interactions do participants/fundraisers have with

Children’s Hospital before, during and after participation/fundraising? When and how is the marketing strategy landing with

current and potential participants? Where are the gaps in interaction and what are actionable

steps to improve effectiveness? How can fundraising be increased?

Where are the opportunities for improvement in fundraising?

Who is more or less likely to increase or decrease fundraising?

Responsibilities Data collection, management, and analysis Report writing, consolidating, editing, and

disseminating Designing, developing, organizing, conducting, and

presenting ethnographic research using anthropological tools and methods

Organizing, managing, coordinating, and facilitating on-site ethnographic teams, the team member data sharing, and relevant reports generated in relation to ethnographic research

Duties Conducting intercept and in-depth follow-up

interviews with fitness event participants Sharing the data received from these

interviews with fellow studio members Recoding data from fellow ethnographer

intercept/follow-up interviews Analyzing data to create personas,

participant journey maps, and ethnographies Creating certain aspects of the final

presentation for the client Planning, organizing, developing, and

facilitating workshops, ideation and co-creation workshops, and abbreviated design thinking sessions

Methodology Gather “ethnographic” data from 9 fitness

events Intercept interviews on-site at fitness events

Interview guides were created as loose roadmaps The goal was to ask about fundraising or lack

thereof Also to discover what they did in their free time

Attempt follow-up interviews One survey for one fitness event Systematic observation at fitness events

Approx. 250 Interviews

Approx. 250 Interviews

Approx. 250 Interviews

24 personas 24 journey maps 1 extensive ethnographies

9 fitness events 3 fitness categories

Results

Theoretical Lens Design

Intercept interviews Observation at fitness events Survey (one event)

Half of Weber Individuals believe they know why they act

certain ways Does not attempt to situate actions in cultural

context

Theoretical Lens Goffman’s “Presentation of Self”

Individuals participate in certain roles Based on the information gained

about those with which the individual is interacting

Verbal elements can be manipulated easily

What individuals “give off” are harder to manipulate

The observer always has the advantage over the actor

Theoretical Lens Cultural Models

D’Andrade Cultural models (schemas) Objective Models explain without

value Melanoma and warts are cancer

Moral Models put values on ideas, actions, objects Melanoma is bad cancer, but

warts are benign

Theoretical Lens Cultural Models

Dressler The variables of interest are culturally based Individual knowledge is distinguished from

cultural knowledge by shared, inter-subjectivity Cultural Consonance Finding the cultural models would have been a

worthy objective

Theoretical Lens Geertz’s “Thick Description”

Understanding by outsider’s requires context Behaviors in isolation are shallow or worse

misunderstood Investigating behaviors as they happen with

regard to the presentation of self and cultural models can help increase depth of understanding gained

Applied to business/design anthropology “Ethnographic research places the consumer in a

wider context that explains why people do what they do, not only what, and also provides a deeper understanding of the value of certain products and services in people’s lives” (Baba)

Conclusion Goals Today

Highlight the methodology of my practicum View the Studio’s approach through theoretical

lenses Highlight how the methodology could be

improved Demonstrate some knowledge gained during my

training Open for Discussion

Any of this The mechanics and outcomes of my practicum

Questions?