15 March 2017

In this last meeting, we will discuss what is produced in an ethnography, and how it might be interpreted, used, contested by those you studied; in particular, what might be the consequences (often unintended) of sharing insights produced during the studies. Professor Fayard has carried out a number of ethnographic research projects including a long-term engagement as a ‘contract ethnographer’ with a multinational company to document and analyze its corporate culture across sites. Insights from her studies were shared, understood and used, in various ways with different members of the organization. She will discuss how this arrangement presents its own set of opportunities and challenges and show how what she calls “contract ethnography” offers considerable opportunity to do serious scholarly work.

Anne-Laure Fayard is Associate Professor of Management in the Department of Technology Management and Innovation at NYU Tandon School of Engineering, and affiliated with the Department of Management and Organizations at NYU Stern Business School. Her research interests involve communication, collaboration, culture and space, with a focus on interactions, particularly those between people and technology. Her work has been published in several leading journals such as Administrative Science Quarterly, Information System Research, Organization Science and Organization Studies. She is also the author with Anca Metiu of The Power of Writing in Organizations.

A copy of the flyer for this event can be found here