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Field Notes
Strengthening Identity and Impact in a Research Centre
This case study shows how a national research centre, working on safety, prevention, and societal change, sought to strengthen its identity and impact. While widely respected for its independent expertise, the centre faced challenges in communicating a shared story and building a collective sense of belonging. Through cultural research and dialogue, the organization developed a clearer identity, stronger positioning, and renewed cohesion.
Building Trust and Cohesion in a Municipality
This case study describes how a large municipality, facing fragmentation, insecurity, and strained collaboration, began rebuilding trust and cohesion. Despite strong dedication among employees, silo-thinking, leadership turnover, and fear of speaking up undermined effectiveness. Through cultural fieldwork and dialogue sessions, the organization created space for connection, recognition, and a renewed sense of shared purpose.
Global Culture Transformation in a Multinational
This case study highlights how a multinational organization, operating across four continents, navigated the challenges of rapid growth, cultural fragmentation, and regional silos. By embedding anthropologists in offices worldwide and facilitating dialogue from shop floor to boardroom, the organization uncovered hidden cultural patterns and co-created a global culture strategy that balances local realities with global ambitions.
Building Social Safety and Culture in Higher Education
This case study explores how a higher education institution with international staff and students addressed cultural and social safety challenges. While the academic environment was dynamic and supportive, underlying issues such as gossip, microaggressions, hierarchy, and lack of feedback undermined trust. By uncovering hidden cultural patterns and creating space for dialogue, the organization built a stronger foundation for inclusivity, safety, and collaboration.
Sustainable Ecosystems
In a world of change, groups and organizations are looking for ways to remain resilient, sustainable, and people-focused. The challenges of our time—from climate change to technological acceleration and societal shifts—require organizations that not only adapt, but thrive in the unknown. Static structures and outdated management models no longer suffice.
Cultural Strategy for Transformation in a Healthcare Organization
This case study describes how a large healthcare organization, facing increasing pressure from limited resources and rising expectations, developed a cultural strategy to guide its transformation. By combining anthropological analysis with strategic foresight, the organization uncovered hidden blind spots, reconnected leadership with culture, and created new rhythms and rituals to strengthen wellbeing, collaboration, and resilience.
Leading Change
"Change is the only constant." You read and hear it a lot, but how do you deal with it? Changes do indeed follow each other at lightning speed and if you are not careful, you will get lost in a stuck system of which everyone can point out the ugly patterns but no one knows the way out. Powerlessness, frustration, feelings of failure and inadequacy take hold of you. Where people work, live and communicate with each other, a system naturally arises that you could provide with labels. Healthy, toxic, fertile, corrupt, soulless, soulful, safe, unsafe, functional or dysfunctional.
Ethnography
The term 'fieldwork' is used to describe research in all areas of anthropology, from social and cultural anthropology to corporate anthropology. The practice of 'fieldwork' can take place in different environments. Such as an urban or virtual environment, a small-scale tribal community, a museum, an association or an organization.
Leader versus Boss. Who makes the difference?
'Leadership'. A lot has been written on leaders and leadership. How do you recognize a leader? What does he or she do? And what is the difference between a Leader and a Boss? I listed the differences between a Leader and a Boss. An overview in 12 points of attention.
Cultural Transformation in a Business Services Firm
This case study explores how a leading business services firm, with more than 500 employees, embarked on a cultural transformation journey. Faced with stagnation, fragmentation, and a culture of silence, the organization needed to rediscover its purpose, reconnect employees, and strengthen leadership presence. The following sections outline the challenges, the process, and the outcomes of this transformation.
Liminality
Liminality is a term that derives from anthropology. It describes the stage or phase of transition. The 'old' has been abandoned, the 'new' has not yet been formed. It's the phase in-between.
Culture beats strategy. Always.
Often a company's strategy (imposed from above) is at odds with the deep-rooted habits of the corporate culture. Organizations underestimate how much the effectiveness of a strategy depends on the corporate culture.
Hospital Case Study – Teams in Transition
This case study highlights the dynamics within hospital teams under pressure from leadership changes, Covid demands, and complex integrations. It illustrates the hidden frustrations, cultural barriers, and the steps taken to restore trust and collaboration among staff. The following sections provide insights into the fieldwork, analysis, and coaching that contributed to lasting change.
