Anthro-Vision: A New Way to See in Business and Life
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- Create Date：2021-08-11 08:15:59
- Update Date：2025-09-23
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- Author：Gillian Tett
- ISBN：1982140968
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Summary
In an age when the business world is dominated by technology and data analysis， award-winning financial journalist and anthropology PhD Gillian Tett presents a radically different strategy for success: businesses can revolutionize their understanding of behavior by studying consumers， markets， and organizations through an anthropological lens。
Amid severe digital disruption， economic upheaval， and political flux， how can we make sense of the world？ Leaders today typically look for answers in economic models， Big Data， or artificial intelligence platforms。 Gillian Tett points to anthropology—the study of human culture。 Anthropologists train to get inside the minds of other people， helping them not only to understand other cultures but also to appraise their own environment with fresh perspective as an insider-outsider， gaining lateral vision。
Today， anthropologists are more likely to study Amazon warehouses than remote Amazon tribes; they have done research into institutions and companies such as General Motors， Nestlé， Intel， and more， shedding light on practical questions such as how internet users really define themselves; why corporate projects fail; why bank traders miscalculate losses; how companies sell products like pet food and pensions; why pandemic policies succeed （or not）。 Anthropology makes the familiar seem unfamiliar and vice versa， giving us badly needed three-dimensional perspective in a world where many executives are plagued by tunnel vision， especially in fields like finance and technology。 Lively， lucid， and practical， Anthro-Vision offers a revolutionary new way for understanding the behavior of organizations， individuals， and markets in today’s ever-evolving world。
Amid severe digital disruption， economic upheaval， and political flux， how can we make sense of the world？ Leaders today typically look for answers in economic models， Big Data， or artificial intelligence platforms。 Gillian Tett points to anthropology—the study of human culture。 Anthropologists train to get inside the minds of other people， helping them not only to understand other cultures but also to appraise their own environment with fresh perspective as an insider-outsider， gaining lateral vision。
Today， anthropologists are more likely to study Amazon warehouses than remote Amazon tribes; they have done research into institutions and companies such as General Motors， Nestlé， Intel， and more， shedding light on practical questions such as how internet users really define themselves; why corporate projects fail; why bank traders miscalculate losses; how companies sell products like pet food and pensions; why pandemic policies succeed （or not）。 Anthropology makes the familiar seem unfamiliar and vice versa， giving us badly needed three-dimensional perspective in a world where many executives are plagued by tunnel vision， especially in fields like finance and technology。 Lively， lucid， and practical， Anthro-Vision offers a revolutionary new way for understanding the behavior of organizations， individuals， and markets in today’s ever-evolving world。
Reviews
Elizabeth Spreng
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I think this is one of the must read books of 2021 and I am using it for teaching as well。
Yifei Men
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Enjoyable read！ I enjoyed the span of the materials covered; from the author's earlier days as an ethnographer to more current case studies in companies （automotive， tech， FMCG）。There's a lot of fascination in recent years of technological progress， and the "how" and "what" questions， but the writer urges us to think more about the "why"， to keep an open mind， remain curious， questioning and receptive to what is silent / taken for granted。Anthropologists are often great writers， perceptive to th Enjoyable read！ I enjoyed the span of the materials covered; from the author's earlier days as an ethnographer to more current case studies in companies （automotive， tech， FMCG）。There's a lot of fascination in recent years of technological progress， and the "how" and "what" questions， but the writer urges us to think more about the "why"， to keep an open mind， remain curious， questioning and receptive to what is silent / taken for granted。Anthropologists are often great writers， perceptive to the reader's attention span and emotional landscape; and of course they are wordsmiths commanding an extensive vocabulary， often coining beautiful turn of phrases to frame a discussion。 It's been many years since my Anthro classes in college， but it brings back fond memories of mind-opening ways of seeing the world， our every day interactions。 I'm less certain on what really to take away as next steps besides an awareness and openness， but perhaps that's a good start。 A book that I'll be happy to re-read。 。。。more
Sanjay Banerjee
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A book reiterating that in every sphere of human activity - be it politics， business， technology etc - ‘Anthropology Intelligence’ （alternate AI） has an important role to play in making sense of the world and constructing a viable and sustainable strategy。
George Fryer
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A must-read for senior execs in large enterprises looking to successfully navigate the world of big data and technology。
Daniel Maurath
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Reads like a series of loosely connected academic-leaning news articles rather than a carefully crafted narrative that builds towards a central argument。 There are so many distracting footnotes， parentheticals and asides present I presume to preempt critics but are simply not needed in a non-peer reviewed work。 Integrate those facts into the story or leave out。 Also， the idea is quite simple that anthropology can apply to business and the examples presented are hardly revolutionary or insightful Reads like a series of loosely connected academic-leaning news articles rather than a carefully crafted narrative that builds towards a central argument。 There are so many distracting footnotes， parentheticals and asides present I presume to preempt critics but are simply not needed in a non-peer reviewed work。 Integrate those facts into the story or leave out。 Also， the idea is quite simple that anthropology can apply to business and the examples presented are hardly revolutionary or insightful。 We all know that diversity is important so that being the big “Aha！” for business was a let down。 That being said， I did like the focus on incidental information exchange over innovation as the driving force for in-person work。 That will be my one takeaway from the book。 。。。more
Warren Mcpherson
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Anthropology applied to our own economy and society uncovers several surprising insights。
Katie Gardner
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So good！ A must read for people to understand the larger cultural context of business decisions。
Sreeram
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For someone like me who does not know anything about Anthropology， this book was a gentle introduction。 While I was familiar with ethnography （which supports Anthropology）， it was very illuminating to read how having a vision of the world informed by Anthropology could create a better world for us to live in。 The world is beset with wicked problems and authoritarian mindsets are exacerbating the issues rather than solving them。 Some passages from the book:"instead of embracing rigid prior judgme For someone like me who does not know anything about Anthropology， this book was a gentle introduction。 While I was familiar with ethnography （which supports Anthropology）， it was very illuminating to read how having a vision of the world informed by Anthropology could create a better world for us to live in。 The world is beset with wicked problems and authoritarian mindsets are exacerbating the issues rather than solving them。 Some passages from the book:"instead of embracing rigid prior judgments about what is important or normal， or how topics should be subdivided， it tries to listen and learn with almost childlike wonder。""That is why one of the greatest gifts that anthropology can offer the modern world is to be “the antidote to nativism， the enemy of hate [and] vaccine of understanding， tolerance and compassion that can counter the rhetoric of demagogues，” to cite the anthropologist Wade Davis。 We need it。""History shows that when a revolution takes place， it tends to succeed not when a tiny minority of committed activists embrace a cause， but when a silent majority decides that it is too dangerous or pointless to resist change。" 。。。more
Miki Hodge
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So much material covered
Andrew Carr
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I loved this book。 For the past few months， I've been looking for books which help change or shift your thinking。 Not in terms of the issues， but frameworks。 This is one such book。Tett was trained as an anthropologist and loves her discipline。 She begins by recounting her PhD training in Tajikistan and from there explores how the skills of a profession commonly pigeonholed as 'studying exotic tribes' has great relevance for understanding any group of people， in any profession， in any part of the I loved this book。 For the past few months， I've been looking for books which help change or shift your thinking。 Not in terms of the issues， but frameworks。 This is one such book。Tett was trained as an anthropologist and loves her discipline。 She begins by recounting her PhD training in Tajikistan and from there explores how the skills of a profession commonly pigeonholed as 'studying exotic tribes' has great relevance for understanding any group of people， in any profession， in any part of the world。 At heart， this book encourages us all to remember "that may be your world view， but it isn't everyone's"。 （A line offered in a glowing cameo by my ANU colleague Genevieve Bell）Tett has a knack for translating broad disciplinary norms and theories into common sense proposals。 Antho-Vision as she describes relates to five steps for better thinking about what is going on: First， recognizing we are 'all creatures of our own environment'， shaped by the forces around us。 Second， that there 'is no single "natural" cultural frame'。 Third， we should 'seek for ways to immerse ourselves。。。。in the minds and lives of others to gain empathy'。 Fourth， 'we must look at our own world with the lens of an outsider to see ourselves clearly'。 Finally 'we must use that perspective to actively listen to social silence， ponder the rituals and symbols that shape our routines'。 I always read with a pen in hand， and normally the underlining reduces over time， as I get more used to the book， find the discussion less compelling or repeating what came before。 This book however has underlines and scribbles throughout it。 Time and again Tett， who works as a journalist for the UK Financial Times offers compelling anacdotes that illustrate her points。 From her own effort to try and understand 'what were those financiers doing trading securities and mortages in the mid 2000s'， to insights into companies which presumed their employers or customers would act in ways that they simply did not。 Often the simple message is to look at the wider web of meaning for why people act as they do。 The choice of teenagers to live on their phones is not simply a fascination with screens and Facebook dopamine hits （as often feared）， but also a search for a human outlet when all of the normal places for teenagers to be teenagers （malls， walking to school etc） are increasingly prevented by a generation of fearful parents and reduced public places。 This is the 'anthro-vision' of the title， a willingness to look at the wider picture and wonder without judgement 'why are they acting like that' （or perhaps harder but just as importantly 'why do I think that'）。This is an easy and fun read。 It offers a way to shape and improve your thinking， offering a passionate introduction to anthropology and the value of its intellectual work。 Every discipline should be so lucky to have such an advocate like Tett。 Don't let its simple sounding messages， and perhaps slightly odd title/subtitle dissuade。 This is a clever book for those looking to improve their ability to understand the world around them。 。。。more
Pete
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Anthro-Vision – A New Way to See in Business and in Life （2021） by Gillian Tett expounds on the value of anthropological thinking in the modern world。 Tett is a columnist and managing US editor the Financial Times。 She has a PhD in anthropology from Cambridge。She describes how she was studying anthropology in Tajikistan in the Soviet Union and how Communism and Islam interacted but how her plans for her PhD changed when Communism fell。Tett describes how viewing the world through the lense of an Anthro-Vision – A New Way to See in Business and in Life （2021） by Gillian Tett expounds on the value of anthropological thinking in the modern world。 Tett is a columnist and managing US editor the Financial Times。 She has a PhD in anthropology from Cambridge。She describes how she was studying anthropology in Tajikistan in the Soviet Union and how Communism and Islam interacted but how her plans for her PhD changed when Communism fell。Tett describes how viewing the world through the lense of an anthropologist makes the way some communities， such as those trading mortgage backed securities gives value because it helps to illuminate the strange ways that community behaved。Anthro-Vision also describes how various anthropologists are working in Industry and how they have helped market Kit-Kats in Japan， changed the pet food industry and also helped technology firms work out how their products are used。Anthro-Vision is very well written and is definitely an interesting book。 Tett makes the point very well that insights into customs and group behaviour have considerable value。 。。。more
Dear_ceiling
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I really， really loved this book。 I read it in about 5 days and didn't want it to end。 This book was a great read for me for a few reasons。 Firstly， I have been reading Tett's columns in the FT Magazine for almost a year now， in which she discusses politics， culture， economics， and breaks them down （analyses/explains them） using anthropology。 I have never thought of vaccine rollouts， election results， social and economic issues the way she presents them to us in the column， and loved it whenever I really， really loved this book。 I read it in about 5 days and didn't want it to end。 This book was a great read for me for a few reasons。 Firstly， I have been reading Tett's columns in the FT Magazine for almost a year now， in which she discusses politics， culture， economics， and breaks them down （analyses/explains them） using anthropology。 I have never thought of vaccine rollouts， election results， social and economic issues the way she presents them to us in the column， and loved it whenever she gave us a hint of what anthropology was。 For example， she once discussed how different cultures look at seasons; one see seasons set by dates， others define seasons only when the appropriate weather arrives。 Loving her ideas， I read as much as I could about her online and loved the fact that she did her PhD on marrige rituals in Tajikistan （！？） - but I could only find very little about this？ This book touches on what she was doing/researching in Tajikistan！ And it was fascinating！ The link between her work in Obi-Safeyd and Wall Street/City of London （i。e。 how she predicted the GFC） was incredible， and really demonstrates the utility of applying anthropological techniques on the world。 I was hooked。 Another way she presented the importance of anthropology in looking at the world， is that it is not enought to just use models which use quantitative data - we need to acknowledge people and their culture too！ A model could produce a compass telling you which direction to walk in， but you might walk into a tree if you don't look up。 Secondly， this book was an excellent read for me because of the way she broke down the principles of anthropology。 This boils down to three ideas。 Firstly， try to see the strange as familiar; this allows you to gain some empathy and understanding for people you see as 'outsiders' - as a result， they seem less strange and you can make more sense of people/cultures。 Secondly， see the familiar as strange; allowing you to notice your own blindspots， and aspects about yourself/your cutlure you otherwise wouldn't notice。 These can become problems （or already are the roots of your problems！）。 Finally， notice social silences; what are people not talking about？ Why not？ These silences helped her predict the GFC and the rise of ESG。More generally however， Tett discusses how symbols and rituals within cultures reinforce certain values and develop maps of meaning。 These ideas are presented through stories of participant observing workers at Xerox， Kit-Kat consumers in Japan， and people interacting with facial recognistion technology。 Certain ideas I struggled to understand however， namely sense-making and habitus。 Hopefully future reading on anthropology will help this。 Whilst I liked the conclusion， it wasn't my favourite part of the book - but then again， the book covered so many different topics it's hard to wrap them all together in one conclusion。 The conclusion did however make me feel positive that I could potentially use anthro-vision/lateral vision to see the world， and that it was important we all try to！I would highly recomend this book to anyone interested in how anthropology （an often neglected academic discipline） can be used to look at our life， culture and business。 It left me hungry to read more about this subject。 Thank you Gillian Tett！ 。。。more
Jim Carroll
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Perspective is everything。 ExcellentThis is kind of like the introduction of psychological analysis to economics to create behavioral economics。 This book does an excellent job of presenting anthropologist thinking to economics and business management。 Although she didn’t invent the concept she does an excellent job of describing the value of such thinking in today’s business and financial world。 Very interesting and well written。
Arthea J。 Larson
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Too much about financeThe idea of this book was better than the reality of it。 I can understand the importance of “anthro-vision” but got lost with the sheer volume of financial information。 I was hoping for more of a look at our day-to-day activities from an anthropomorphic standpoint。
Elizabeth
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As heard on The Indicator from Planet Money:https://www。npr。org/2021/06/21/100878。。。 As heard on The Indicator from Planet Money:https://www。npr。org/2021/06/21/100878。。。 。。。more
Surya
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Replete with the author's experience and with examples taken from the field of successful marketing/ product launches/ changes。There is a little nugget in the form of "barter" in the tech world as opposed to what we calculate - Dollar Value。 I am a little confused between the contributions credited to Anthropology and the other fields including behavioural economics and/ or psychology。As a marketeer， this is good to know field and a must-read book。 Replete with the author's experience and with examples taken from the field of successful marketing/ product launches/ changes。There is a little nugget in the form of "barter" in the tech world as opposed to what we calculate - Dollar Value。 I am a little confused between the contributions credited to Anthropology and the other fields including behavioural economics and/ or psychology。As a marketeer， this is good to know field and a must-read book。 。。。more
Michael Tutty
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Brilliant
Alan
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Entertaining， and some good thoughts about a variety of matters business， political， medical and of course， human。
Abdullah Shams
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Step back， and ask what am I not seeing！ = Broader Vision
Lisa Wright
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