Ready for Business: An Anthropology Graduate as Change Management Consultant

Authors

  • Siew-Peng Lee

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22439/jba.v10i1.6330

Abstract

This paper is a historical, confessional and ethnographic account of a former change management consultant in a global consulting firm who later went on to complete a PhD in social anthropology. Locating herself as both the researcher and informant, the writer gives her ‘native’ account of one model of management consulting that was based on a proprietary ‘method’. She notes how her undergraduate training in anthropology made her a more effective consultant as she tried to make sense of the culture of various client organizations for the specific purpose of designing and developing training materials. By mapping the ways in which anthropological theory and methodology could be aligned to meet the business goals of her clients, the paper aims to persuade both prospective employers and students alike to see how anthropology can be applied effectively in the business world.

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Published

2021-07-16

Issue

Section

Case Studies