Flexibility and the Curatorial Eye: Why and how well-documented, ethnographically inspired fieldwork sustains value over time

This paper discusses a key distinguishing feature of ethnographic work, the ability to sustain value over time, and describes how that ability generates business impact. The business benefit is visible at two time scales. Within the timeframe of a given project, ethnographers are flexible enough to refine and redefine the scope and ask new questions. After the project has completed, carefully curated ethnographic materials can answer new questions not posed until years after the project has ended. Two cases illustrate the value-generating qualities of ethnographic work: one recently conducted example about drinking water access in India and one conducted ten years ago about mobile sales forces in multi-national organizations. Discussion of these cases illustrates the importance of flexibility and the curatorial eye for generating business value from ethnography.