Ever since I switched from being a pre-vet major (yes, I went to college expecting to become a large animal veterinarian) to anthropology, I’ve been barraged by questions like "why anthropology?" and "what can you possibly do with an anthropology major, except teach?" The incredulity only got worse when I went to business school. After all, how could anthropology be an appropriate, let alone valuable, background for someone in business?
The truth? Studying anthropology was the best education I could have had for a career in business. That’s because it’s all about a way to see the world. When you’re learning about an indigenous culture in some remote place, you can’t think about familial relationships, for example, from the perspective of life as an American living in New York City. Rather you try to see things as they’re viewed by the people you’re studying, based on the life they’re leading where they are. You learn to suspend judgement and to look, listen and really hear what they’re saying. To see the world through their eyes.
What brought this to mind again was a recent New York Times article about the Pentagon hiring anthropologists to help American soldiers on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The idea is that anthropologists, as experts in understanding other cultures, can help the soldiers really hear what’s important to local people and find more effective ways to communicate, and that this can help reduce combat operations and facilitate rebuilding. (I should note that while this is a good thing in many ways, not all anthropologists think the association with the military is good for anthropology. That’s not something I’m in a position to comment on.) Regardless of your views on the war, the point could hardly be made more strongly that anthropology isn’t just an academic exercise. It has significant real world applications.
If you have an anthropologist’s mindset, you constantly seek to understand what’s going on from perspectives other than your own. Wanting to explore the world this way, and being able to, is invaluable when running a company.
For example, employing an anthropological point of view helps you to genuinely see your product or service from your customer’s perspective. That way, you’ll know if you’ve got a product that can be successful, and how you might modify it over time so it will continue to be.
Or, how about forging a partnership with another company? To work, it’s got to be a win-win for both parties. You’ll increase your odds of making the process successful if you’re able to see the pros and cons from your potential partner’s vantage point.
Similarly when you’re hiring staff or consultants you may think your company is a great place to work, but will they? Understanding the motives and needs of a potential hire (are they looking for financial stability? career mobility? an intellectual or professional challenge?) can help you figure out if the person is right for your company and, if they are, the best way to attract and retain them.
It took me a while to realize that I use my anthropology background all the time — whether I’m building a company, working with clients, or teaching students about entrepreneurship, strategy and finance. It makes me smile that many more people are beginning to recognize the practical value of anthropology in all sorts of settings.