An Anthropologist walks into a bar...
/At the core of sense making lies the practice of phenomenology: the study of how people experience life. Drop the mic!
In the world of People & Culture, my ultimate goal is to understand how people’s experiences at work need to be clearly defined (expectations), the various methods to achieve these goals (professional development, mentorship, the desire to embark on new experiences, etc.) and maintain this balancing act on a consistent basis. How do you do this, when you are focused on the outcome of retaining top talent, staying within budget and keep the culture of your workforce an environment where a professional can create a masterpiece, that still meets the clients needs?
As we learnt how to start developing our sense making in action today, the 4 areas of focus were a lightbulb of hope for me, as at times, it can feel as though the task before me is a daunting endeavor'.
Looking at our organization and our clients through the lease of an anthropologist is essential for truly understanding the problem, as most of us focus too much energy on the solution. You can not help solve ANY problem (professionally and personally), until you understand the issue at hand.
Reframing the Problem, is to “understand the complex, subtle, often unconscious ways in which people interact with their surroundings.” The questions that come to mind are ‘What is our most recent hires experiences been to date, what could have been done better, and how can we improve our process in order to retain them as a Consultant?’
Collect the Data, is the method you use to get information in order to assess the problem and identify the key themes. While taking surveys is useful from a data perspective, I often desire to have one on one meetings with our team members to get information first hand. Time consuming, yes, but insightful, and priceless.
Look for Patterns, is found in seeking out the root causes, in the experiences encountered by a group of people. What are the issues, evidence and impact for on boarding a Consultant successfully and how can that be measured over a period of time?
Create a Key Insight, can only be done when you’ve done the leg work. Often times, what we think is the problem is not the issue at all. It may be larger than we think and insight can be gained from a completely different angle.
Build the Business Impact, looks beyond what most professional services firms concentrate on. For example, after spending 4 years at Deloitte, the method for success was written down on paper as a clear line of sight for newbies. However, so much of the grey areas were only discussed with a few while the black and white spots were shared with the majority. My understanding is that to build a true business impact, I need to leave room for the shades in between, so that the grey areas are discovered by both the Consultant and Client.
After spending Day 2 focusing on the above, reviewing the Key to Everything, and reading over a few of our blog posts from yesterday, it is apparent that my anthropologist mindset has shifted into a more curious one. One with more questions vs. always having to have the solution - which seems to be where the mic dropped and I heard a different tune!