Anthropology in the Organization

Paper Summary:

This paper examines a body of coursework for a class in organizational anthropology. Twenty-five sources are included. Of these, each is examined briefly and a justification provided for its usefulness to the course. The paper also weighs in on the subject areas discussed, the tension between theory and practice, as well as the difference in definitions of the word culture.

From the Paper:

"Abram, 2001: I would not retain this article for future incarnations of this course. Though intriguing, the study itself was too pointed in my analysis. Demonstrating the tension between the "politics of policy-making and the technical competencies of `experts', such as professional planners" did not provide much useful broad applicability (Abram, 2001: 184). This is a good example of organizational ethnography, but not necessarily a useful one. Aguilera, 1996: This article would be retained. It provides readers with an excellent sense of how anthropology can be employed to highlight processes within the business world and assess potential zones of improvement. Aguilera (1996) shows how anthropology can transcend theory and move into business intervention."

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