When most people hear “anthropology,” they picture Margaret Mead or faraway tribes. But today, anthropology has found a powerful new purpose—inside companies. This approach helps business leaders understand their culture, customers, and markets in fresh, innovative ways. The goal? To unlock growth and adapt in fast-changing times.
What Is Corporate Anthropology?
Corporate anthropology employs the same methods anthropologists use in the field—observing, listening, and interpreting symbols and behaviors—but applies them to businesses. It’s a tool to view your company as an unfamiliar culture, unveiling hidden insights and untapped opportunities for change.
Why does this matter? Because company culture—”the way we do things here”—is often invisible to the people inside it. Leaders may struggle to see why old strategies no longer work or innovation stalls. By studying the human behaviors at the heart of your organization, anthropologists uncover what’s really going on—and how to move forward.
Real Companies Using Anthropology to Drive Innovation
Big brands are already seeing results. Google brought in anthropologists to explore how people use mobile tech. Intelembedded anthropologists into its strategy team to understand consumer habits. A research firm working with Absolut Vodka used ethnographic methods at parties to discover that liquor choice is more about storytelling than taste, transforming their marketing approach.
Samsung discovered, through corporate anthropology, that people don’t just want large TVs for better visuals—they want them to enhance their home décor. That insight reshaped product design company-wide.
Four Ways Corporate Anthropology Can Help Your Business Grow
- Change Your Company Culture: How do I change my culture?—start with anthropology. Many businesses get stuck in outdated habits, unaware that the real issue is cultural. Anthropologists diagnose those hidden norms and help leaders reframe them to meet new challenges.
- Rethink and Communicate Strategy Strategy is more than a business plan—it’s a story. Anthropology helps uncover whether your strategy aligns with your culture and if your people actually believe in it. If not, it’s time to rethink—and retell—that story in a way people can live.
- Drive Innovation in Product and Service Design Traditional research often misses what people really need. Observing customers in action can uncover pain points and unmet needs that surveys can’t reveal. This type of research can lead to real innovation, not just iterations.
- Build Branding and Marketing That Connects Culture constantly evolves, and your branding must keep pace. Anthropology helps companies track micro-community trends and understand customer behavior in context—key for messaging, marketing, and long-term engagement.
The Takeaway: Culture Drives Growth
If you’re looking for new ways to innovate, engage customers, or change your company culture, it’s time to see your business differently. Corporate anthropology offers that lens—turning observation into insight, insight into strategy, and strategy into action.
It’s not just about understanding people. It’s about helping them—and your business—grow.
To read more about how Corporate Anthropology can help your business, pick up my award-winning book, “On the Brink: A fresh lens to take your business to new heights.” Available on Amazon.
If you would like to watch a recent podcast with David Bookbinder about Corporate Anthropology, click here:
From Observation to Innovation,
CEO | Corporate Anthropologist | Author
Simonassociates.net
Info@simonassociates.net
@simonandi
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