How to Think Like an Anthropologist, with Gillian Tett
Feb 20, 2024
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Gillian Tett, a Financial Times columnist and anthropologist, discusses the importance of language in her work and why we should think like anthropologists. Topics include the etymology of words like 'company' and 'bank', similarities between Brits and Japanese in the workplace, and the value of anthropological thinking in today's world.
Language is vital in reflecting and shaping culture, urging us to immerse in diverse environments.
Understanding organizational behavior through an anthropological lens challenges assumptions and provides fresh perspectives.
Deep dives
Analyzing Children's Reactions to Books
Children's responses to books are studied by university students engaging them in discussions, performances, and artwork to understand their behavior and interactions. Students, resembling anthropologists, observe and analyze how children behave and communicate during these activities, revealing insights similar to participant observers in a community.
Applying Anthropology to Business
Jillian Tett, an expert in anthropology, extends its principles to the business world by examining organizational behavior through an anthropological lens. Her work delves into understanding the language's essential role in reflecting and shaping culture, emphasizing the need to immerse oneself in different environments to gain fresh perspectives and challenge assumptions.
Reevaluating Office Dynamics and Language in Business
The traditional concept of 'company' from old Italian signifies a gathering around bread to collaborate, unlike today's focus on balance sheets. The notion of 'office' as a function highlights a shift towards flexible work environments, emphasizing interactions over a physical space. Language behavior in different cultures like Japan and America reveals contrasting communication styles and the impact of assumed cultural knowledge.
"If you want to hide something in the 21st century world, you don't need to create a James Bond style plot. Just cover it in acronyms".
Gillian Tett is a columnist at the Financial Times, but she initially trained as a cultural anthropologist, studying marriage rituals in Tajikistan.
She joins Michael Rosen to discuss how the study of language has been vital to her work, who continues to see the world through the lens of an anthropologist. The pair talk about the etymology of words like 'company', 'office', and 'bank', why we should all speak more like the Dutch, how Brits in the workplace are more similar to the Japanese, and why it would be useful for all of us to think more like an anthropologist.
Gillian Tett is the author of Fool's Gold, The Silo Effect, and Antho-Vision.
Producer: Eliza Lomas, BBC Audio Bristol.
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