Certification Programs - On-Site or Online
While applied anthropology is a complex discipline, certain concepts, processes and methods can be quickly
learned as an addition to the toolbox for the business environment.
Having practiced corporate anthropology for over 29 years, our staff created programs which take the
neophyte into the realms of the anthropological without the travel to remote and exotic places. The
conference room or water fountain prove to be at times rather primal locations. With reading materials and
physical assignments, the corporate professional or interested individual can hone into the ethnographic
approach, bringing the cultural perspective into play either at the company or in the consumer field.
For the neophyte, the jump-start into anthropology covers basics of cultural anthropology or ethnography.
Culture, the full spectrum of learned human behavior patterns, governs our lives in ways both visible and
intangible. Within culture exist three layers: the group of traditions common to your own society, the
subculture such as ethnic groups and age specific groups, and lastly are the so-called universals shared by
humans across the planet. We will use exercises to open up awareness of our own culture and to allow a person
to become sensitive to cultural dynamics which previously existed as an unseen substrate. Within the halls of
business, on the city streets, commuting on the highways or at home with family, culture dictates behaviors.
Awareness of the behaviors allows examination of patterns and from there, possible prediction for future
behavior. Culture for humans brought us adaptive mechanisms to survive nearly everywhere on the planet.
Cultural change has increased over time until our present rapid rate of technological tools and adaptive
lifestyles.
To most of us, the way we live and interact over the course of a day just seems "natural" for we are so close to
our culture as to be unaware of its aspects. The food we eat and refuse to eat, the parts of our body we
clothe and consider adorned, who we hold to be family and who we marry if at all, are governed by our culture.
Tolerance to new ideas and living systems opens our minds to perceive others differently and more clearly.
Ethnocentrism is the concept of "our way is best," to simplify it. Cultural relativity is the means to suspend
judgement of others and open our minds to the alternate ways of living on our planet. Even within our Western
society, there are gender specific differences in knowledge, behavior and interactions. We seek to identify
the various areas encompassed by cultural study, so that in the next courses, we can apply that knowledge for
greater understanding within the corporate world.
Because of the technological advances of our time, distances no longer form barriers. In a few hours or at
most a few days, we can be nearly anywhere the world and experience culture shock from the most "exotic"
places. In a smaller way, the merger or acquisition of one company by another applies corporate culture shock
as divergent methods must align for smooth transitions. Our accelerated jump-start course covers the
dynamics, the concepts and the methods used to ascertain and process cultural information.
After completing either an anthropology BA degree or completing our jump-start into to anthropology course,
we move on into the application of anthropology in the business world. Multiple levels of training are offered
in three areas: The consumer, the competitor and the corporation. Each course is completely available online
and is comprised of 16 weeks of participatory/observational exercises from our book, written up and sent via
email to our staff. Each person is guided individually to reach comprehension of the concepts and methods
before moving on. Courses may be taken concurrently. Once completed, the basic level being mastered, one
may move into independent study with an assigned staff member for a focus into a specialized area.
In the first segment, the consumer, the staff will experience the dynamics of differing cultural concepts and
beliefs utilizing a participant/observer technique unique to anthropology. Consumers differ among themselves
as well as differing geographically. In simple lessons, you learn how to interact with consumers to gain best
attitude displays and hopefully avoid the twisting of information to please the interviewer. These are not
simple surveys nor are they focus groups. The techniques were developed over the course of decades to go
into a less technological population group, to discern patterns, trends and accurate information, then coalesce
the knowledge into a sort of group gestalt, capturing the essence of the population and leading the individual
studying the group to predictions with greater accuracy. In consumer research, the closer one gets to the
source, to the distilled qualities of reality sets, then the greater the ability to predict trends.
For the second area, the competitor, the assignments focus on understanding what truly competes with the
home company products. Often competition analysis only looks at similar products, when in reality the
competition can be as esoteric as a person's free time. Understanding the deeper levels of competition and
being able to foresee consumer reactions to these levels places the company at the cutting-edge of knowledge,
prediction and profitability. How do consumers view the home company? What does the brand mean to them?
How do they integrate brand items into their lives? What would they change? What will they embrace? How
do they order priorities for spending time, money or other resources? A person trained in applied
anthropology methods can scientifically quantify seemingly intangible dynamics.
In the third area, the corporate environment, the trained person can aid productivity, innovation or teamwork
by identifying the communication systems, the innovators, the stodgies, and the cycles spent in non-productive
issues. The interworkings of a company, while fluid and changing, nonetheless maintain a form of corporate
culture. At times this culture needs tweaking to assure growth and new ideas. The person with anthropological
training gains vision into this world, seeing ways to streamline the workforce and also to keep employees
happy. Studies show that corporations with high employee job satisfaction perform better in the stock
market. Training allows personnel to attain this deeper vision and to find solutions to the everyday working
issues.
Training resources range from self-guided materials and online evaluation to seminar/workshops where a
group of corporate professionals experience a new dimension to viewing the seemingly everyday world.
Contact us at: austin@corporateanthropologycenter.com to learn more about gaining the anthropology toolbox.
While applied anthropology is a complex discipline, certain concepts, processes and methods can be quickly
learned as an addition to the toolbox for the business environment.
Having practiced corporate anthropology for over 29 years, our staff created programs which take the
neophyte into the realms of the anthropological without the travel to remote and exotic places. The
conference room or water fountain prove to be at times rather primal locations. With reading materials and
physical assignments, the corporate professional or interested individual can hone into the ethnographic
approach, bringing the cultural perspective into play either at the company or in the consumer field.
For the neophyte, the jump-start into anthropology covers basics of cultural anthropology or ethnography.
Culture, the full spectrum of learned human behavior patterns, governs our lives in ways both visible and
intangible. Within culture exist three layers: the group of traditions common to your own society, the
subculture such as ethnic groups and age specific groups, and lastly are the so-called universals shared by
humans across the planet. We will use exercises to open up awareness of our own culture and to allow a person
to become sensitive to cultural dynamics which previously existed as an unseen substrate. Within the halls of
business, on the city streets, commuting on the highways or at home with family, culture dictates behaviors.
Awareness of the behaviors allows examination of patterns and from there, possible prediction for future
behavior. Culture for humans brought us adaptive mechanisms to survive nearly everywhere on the planet.
Cultural change has increased over time until our present rapid rate of technological tools and adaptive
lifestyles.
To most of us, the way we live and interact over the course of a day just seems "natural" for we are so close to
our culture as to be unaware of its aspects. The food we eat and refuse to eat, the parts of our body we
clothe and consider adorned, who we hold to be family and who we marry if at all, are governed by our culture.
Tolerance to new ideas and living systems opens our minds to perceive others differently and more clearly.
Ethnocentrism is the concept of "our way is best," to simplify it. Cultural relativity is the means to suspend
judgement of others and open our minds to the alternate ways of living on our planet. Even within our Western
society, there are gender specific differences in knowledge, behavior and interactions. We seek to identify
the various areas encompassed by cultural study, so that in the next courses, we can apply that knowledge for
greater understanding within the corporate world.
Because of the technological advances of our time, distances no longer form barriers. In a few hours or at
most a few days, we can be nearly anywhere the world and experience culture shock from the most "exotic"
places. In a smaller way, the merger or acquisition of one company by another applies corporate culture shock
as divergent methods must align for smooth transitions. Our accelerated jump-start course covers the
dynamics, the concepts and the methods used to ascertain and process cultural information.
After completing either an anthropology BA degree or completing our jump-start into to anthropology course,
we move on into the application of anthropology in the business world. Multiple levels of training are offered
in three areas: The consumer, the competitor and the corporation. Each course is completely available online
and is comprised of 16 weeks of participatory/observational exercises from our book, written up and sent via
email to our staff. Each person is guided individually to reach comprehension of the concepts and methods
before moving on. Courses may be taken concurrently. Once completed, the basic level being mastered, one
may move into independent study with an assigned staff member for a focus into a specialized area.
In the first segment, the consumer, the staff will experience the dynamics of differing cultural concepts and
beliefs utilizing a participant/observer technique unique to anthropology. Consumers differ among themselves
as well as differing geographically. In simple lessons, you learn how to interact with consumers to gain best
attitude displays and hopefully avoid the twisting of information to please the interviewer. These are not
simple surveys nor are they focus groups. The techniques were developed over the course of decades to go
into a less technological population group, to discern patterns, trends and accurate information, then coalesce
the knowledge into a sort of group gestalt, capturing the essence of the population and leading the individual
studying the group to predictions with greater accuracy. In consumer research, the closer one gets to the
source, to the distilled qualities of reality sets, then the greater the ability to predict trends.
For the second area, the competitor, the assignments focus on understanding what truly competes with the
home company products. Often competition analysis only looks at similar products, when in reality the
competition can be as esoteric as a person's free time. Understanding the deeper levels of competition and
being able to foresee consumer reactions to these levels places the company at the cutting-edge of knowledge,
prediction and profitability. How do consumers view the home company? What does the brand mean to them?
How do they integrate brand items into their lives? What would they change? What will they embrace? How
do they order priorities for spending time, money or other resources? A person trained in applied
anthropology methods can scientifically quantify seemingly intangible dynamics.
In the third area, the corporate environment, the trained person can aid productivity, innovation or teamwork
by identifying the communication systems, the innovators, the stodgies, and the cycles spent in non-productive
issues. The interworkings of a company, while fluid and changing, nonetheless maintain a form of corporate
culture. At times this culture needs tweaking to assure growth and new ideas. The person with anthropological
training gains vision into this world, seeing ways to streamline the workforce and also to keep employees
happy. Studies show that corporations with high employee job satisfaction perform better in the stock
market. Training allows personnel to attain this deeper vision and to find solutions to the everyday working
issues.
Training resources range from self-guided materials and online evaluation to seminar/workshops where a
group of corporate professionals experience a new dimension to viewing the seemingly everyday world.
Contact us at: austin@corporateanthropologycenter.com to learn more about gaining the anthropology toolbox.
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