Workplace anthropology video series

A few months ago a new channel Workplace Anthropology Matters popped up on Youtube that profiles workplace anthropologists, whose work directly influence their own workplace processes. The video series is part of a workshop in the Business Anthropology Matters initiative, run by Dr. Jan English-Lueck, Professor of Anthropology at San Jose State University and Distinguished Fellow at the Institute for the Future.

As people increasingly spend their waking hours at workplaces, anthropologists need to understand those experiences. The practitioners profiled here have used anthropological skills to access, document, analyze, and relate the lives of workers and businesses that employ them. Organizations employ anthropologists to understands the variety of worker related issues in organizations, ranging from design to strategy. These interviews explore the practical, theoretical, and ethical issues that must be resolved to do workplace anthropology.

Interviews so far:

  • Tamara Hale, design and user experience anthropologist and Principal UX Researcher at Workday [15:09]
  • Timothy McKeown, applied legal anthropologist and Former President, National Treasury Employee Union Chapter 296 [24:39]
  • Paul Thibaudeau, applied design anthropologist working with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada [21:35]
  • Thomas Robinson, innovation strategist with Swisscom [34:11]
  • Alexandra Mack, design anthropologist and Senior Fellow in Pitney Bowes’s Strategic Technology and Innovation Center 21:32]
  • Kyle E. Jones, User Experience Architect for Environmental Systems Research Institute [28:18]
  • Eric Gauldin, Translational Research Anthropologist, works as a contractor with the Marine Corps University Culture Center to develop curriculum and conduct qualitative research [26:37]
  • Stephanie Krawinkler, FH Wien (Fachhochschule Wien), University of Applied Sciences for Management and Communication; Department of Human Resources and Organization [25:38]
  • Kerry Fosher, senior applied anthropologist with Marine Corps University, Translational Research Group – CAOCL [32:31]
  • Amy Goldmacher, anthropologist working in user experience and design [8:23]
  • Elizabeth Briody, experienced workplace anthropologist with her own consultancy, Cultural Keys [40:24]