posted by Gavin Johnston

February 16, 2010 2:25 PM

I'm excited to see this post going up and I'm looking forward to reading it. Going native means more than adopting the customs, rituals, etc. of the group you are studying and this post helps illustrate that. I often use the opening scene from The Gods Must Be Crazy to illustrate the point -- what is trash from one cultural vantage point is a miraculous tool from another (hammer, grinder, scoop, water bottle, fire starter). This is exactly the point of the anthropological lens; that context and culture shape practices and beliefs even if we don't recognize this until we dive in and take a new, sometime confounding and sometime delightful, analytical perspective.

Interaction defines the human condition and the nature of culture. Brilliant assessment that this means understanding a group's cultural structure and worldview if you want to gain traction.

posted by Gavin Johnston

February 17, 2010 7:55 AM

Nice piece -- I'm looking forward to seeing more. I would caution that "going native" potentially means becoming so enmeshed with the group that analysis and an etic view becomes difficult, but that may be overcomplicating things. The point that it's about learning the seen and unseen, the heard and unheard within a cultural group (and each department/function within a company is has its own cultural norms) being the key to success is spot on. Can't wait to read more as this blog progresses.

posted by

February 18, 2010 8:28 PM

After reading this article, I feel that I need more info. Could you suggest some resources please?

posted by

February 18, 2010 8:29 PM

That is true Paula. Totally agree.
It have been raised 100 times in product managers' minds why this happens in many FMCG companies(Fast Moving Consumer Goods), knowing that FMCGs (Proctor & Gamble) have invented the Product Manager function to the world in the 80s.
The power of ideas comes in-line with the power of the internal innovation-readiness of the organization processing these ideas.

posted by Paula

February 18, 2010 9:03 PM

Hi Omar,
You make a good point, that companies may have plenty of data but not be ready to "hear" what the customer wants. Unfortunately some companies may create, develop and market what they think the customer wants, without ever involving the customer directly.

Procter & Gamble actually created the position of the "brand man" back in 1931.

Thanks for your thoughts!

posted by Paula

February 18, 2010 9:28 PM

Hi Jae,
A great book that talks about tapping into the wider culture is "Chief Culture Officer" by anthropologist Grant McCracken. http://twurl.nl/vss5mh He calls it keeping "a finger on the pulse of contemporary cultural trends."

We have also been featuring a webinar series on utilizing anthropology in product management, market research and design with Gavin Johnston, the Chief Anthropologist with the consulting firm Two West, Inc. http://www.twowest.com/ The next webinar in the series covers how to apply information you gained during an in-depth customer ethnography, specifically to technology products. You can register for the next webinar, and also listen to the archives at http://aipmm.com/aipmm_webinars/

Let me know if you need further resources.

Thanks for your thoughts!

posted by Trevor

February 19, 2010 8:06 AM

Thanks very much for your interest and insight! As the anthro-amateur in this blogging partnership with Paula, I have plenty of catching up to do, but I am hugely enthusiastic about applying anthropology ideas to the workplace. While we all "work with people", the Product Manager tends to have a higher frequency of exposure to (and a greater degree of dependency on) a higher diversity of professional tribes, hence this is the role that may benefit most from awareness of anthropology principles and their application at work. While Paula, and commentators such as yourself, can help keep the conversation enlightened by what is best theory and practice among actual anthropologists, I hope to bring an in-the-trenches perspective, and step through how anthropology can help other Product Managers in practical terms.

posted by

February 19, 2010 9:13 AM

Talk about a core Product Management principle! One of my first PM managers told me although I had the title "product manager", I didn't actually have the capacity to make the hard and fast decisions. Everything was driven by data-based decisions involving key stakeholders. The key he told me was influence, you need to influence your tribe(s) in positive ways.

posted by Trevor

February 19, 2010 12:55 PM

Peter, thanks for the comment. I do think most product managers find themselves in the situation of huge responsibility with little to no (official) authority. Where I see anthropology principles adding value is helping us get very deliberate and specific about the who, when and how of observing / empathizing with / recruiting / those other professional tribes that we so fundamentally rely on.

posted by

March 12, 2010 5:22 AM

Tracked back from your comment on Neuroanthropology. Was never a product manager but, besides being an anthropologist (Ph.D. Cornell, 1973), am the only anthropologist I know of who has also spent 30 years working in and around the Japanese ad industry, including 13 years as an English-language copywriter and creative director for Hakuhodo, Japan's second largest agency. Working at the intersection of multiple tribes? I've done a lot of that.

posted by Paula

March 12, 2010 6:44 AM

Hi John,

Thanks for your comment and kudos for applying anthropology in the creative ad industry. I am enjoying the conversation on Neuroanthropology where we all are discussing how to make anthropology relevant to the average person. As I said in that post, I think we are hard-pressed to find a place where anthropology is not relevant.

This Going Native blog is about, as you mention, the intersection of multiple tribes. What better discipline than anthropology to offer insight into the shared culture of those tribes, and how to deal with the sometimes conflicting language, beliefs, values when those tribes collide.

Who hasn't looked across the meeting room and seen the Bigman? Isn't there some parallel between how information or resources are circulated around the office and Mauss' Kula ring of Melanesia?

It makes perfect sense to me that we also use this discipline (which I think is the most holistic and well rounded view of the context within which all buying decisions are made) to inform how brand cultures are built. It sounds like you have been doing all of that, and then some. I'd love to hear more about what you are doing at Hakuhodo.

posted by gyldenege

April 29, 2010 9:00 AM

Excellent post, Trevor.

We all have our mole moments - the need to dive in and work solo. But more and more I hear people express the need or want to socialize and collaborate to accomplish their work. If we have a good balance of the two aspects - mole and meerkat, we can achieve greater success. For, without the moments working alone and allowing yourself to ponder, your mind to solve problems, our group collaboration might not be as successful.

I agree with you on connecting and engaging in professional societies. They are intented to help support us when we are unable to find that support elsewhere. They are also there to provide us with avenues to give back and teach/mentor others about the mistakes we've made and how they can be successful. A group is no better than the people who make it up. Show up, engage, ask, encourage and you'll be surprised by how much you get in return. We must help one another. I believe it was Mr. Franklin who said, "United we stand, divided we fall."

posted by gyldenege

April 29, 2010 9:04 AM

Thank you for the perspective, Paula. I like the humor you inject into your writing. This was fast & easy to consume. I like it and will use it for reference. Great points!!

posted by Trevor

April 29, 2010 2:58 PM

Thanks Gwen...

While I tend to exaggerate, generalize (and blatantly anthropomorphize) to make a point, I agree that sometimes the mole mode is essential for thoughtful work and social battery recharging, and makes us better meerkats long term.

posted by Paula

May 5, 2010 6:54 PM

Thanks for your thoughts Gwen. I'm glad you enjoyed the post (and appreciated my humor).

Paula