WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?MAKING THE ACADEMY-TO-BUSINESS TRANSITION
AS A PRACTICING ANTHROPOLOGISTAmy Santee, UX Researcher @ Empirical
Society for Applied Anthropology, Albuquerque, NMMarch 19th, 2014
Article currently in press - Practicing Anthropology 36(2) 2014
2004-2008
2009-2011
2011-2012
2013-present
= Level of Understanding of
Doing Anthropology
Foun
datio
nal L
earn
ingRe
al W
orld
Lea
rning
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Eckerd College
University of Memphis
State Farm
Empirical
CONSIDERATION No. 1
Practicing anthropology in business means creating your own opportunities for application and success, and re-thinking your approach to practice.
“”
= ANTHROPOLOGY
DOING ANTHROPOLOGY
Image via uthinkido.com
ANTHROPOLOGIST AS: STRATEGIST
EDUCATORADVOCATENETWORKEREMPLOYEECONTRIBUTOROPPORTUNITY-CREATOR
CONSIDERATION No. 2
Doing a job isn’t about “doing anthropology.” It’s about solving problems with an anthropological perspective. This involves constantly re-conceiving practice and adopting a flexible professional identity.
“”
SUCCESSFUL PRACTICE:
LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FLEXIBILITY ADAPTABILITY OPEN-MINDEDNESS
= EXPANDING YOUR ANTHROPOLOGICAL HORIZON
ANTHROPOLOGISTS ARE: RESEARCHERS
PROJECT MANAGERSTHINKERSCONSULTANTSSTRATEGISTSEXPERTS& PROBLEM-SOLVERS
CONSIDERATION No. 3
Being an effective business professional involves making compromises, sacrifices and adjustments to academically informed work practices (e.g., communication, research, producing information, etc)...
...even if you are trained in an applied program.
“”
VS
What I know about cats:
•Fluffy•Adorable•Unique personalities•Best pet ever
YOUR TERM PAPER YOUR POWERPOINT
IMMERSIVE EMPLOYMENTEMBRACE IT.
LANGUAGE BUSINESS TERMINOLOGY, CONCEPTS, ACRONYMS
CULTURAL CAPITAL DOMAIN EXPERTISE, STRATEGIC THINKING
VALUES TIME, COMPETITIVENESS, USEFUL INFO AND $$$
Stress
Project Budget
Project Timeline
Quality ???????Depth of Insight
TO CONCLUDE...
• NEW INSIGHTS• REAL WORLD LEARNING• PROFESSIONALISM• CREATING OPPORTUNITIES • FLEXIBILITY, ADAPTABILITY• COMPROMISES, ADJUSTMENTS• DEFENSE OF VALUES
BUILDING A KNOWLEDGE BASE & EVOLVING CONCEPT OF PRACTICE