Lecture 9: Creating the Efficient Worker and Business
Professional
‘Fitting into the Business Market’:
Many studies show how the enterprising employee is often understood as a
calculating, entrepreneurial, self-disciplined individual who seeks to join into a
collective and be part of an organisational culture
This question of the professional person and particularly the issue of
personhood is one that anthropologists aim to address and dissect
The ways in which the person may be valued across cultures
As a theoretical device, personhood has captured the attention of
anthropologists. Two points about personhood:
1. Becoming – personhood is not one static thing
2. Personhood is the collection of traits and qualities that constitute the nature of
human beings among a certain social group (Bielo 2008: 323)
Bielo (2007):
Interested in the concept of personhood and its relation to financial success
Situates his work within business anthropology and did fieldwork in an
Evangelical Christian church congregation in the Midwestern United States
Interested in ‘Christian businessmen’ – they have a particular understanding of
financial success and prosperity which they equate with creating and being a
kind of person - born again person – converted Evangelical Christian
Particularly interested in tight coupling between conservative Christianity and
the imaginings and practices of money and its circulation
Found that with born-again Christian culture – dynamic between one’s faith and
one’s finances has a lot to do with type of person and one’s personhood]
Christian models of success are imbedded in cultural logic
Feature of being-born again – central feature of this was called ‘the New Mind’ –
this signified the fundamental transformation of the individual person from
being ‘unsaved’ to ‘saved’
This meant being converted to this denomination of Christianity – meant that
they thought differently – perceiving things differently – this was the mind-set
Different economic logics:
Financial success is predicated on becoming and being a particular kind of
religions person who thinks in a certain way
It isn’t based on clear economic logic based on any kinds of modes of exchange
– of wealth or services
Christianity, like other religions, requires a person to change on conversion, this
‘New Mind’ is based on the idea that as we change ourselves, we change the
way we think – we change ourselves as we change the way we think
Reminiscent of Geert Hofstede’s organisational culture model where the mind-
set underpins behaviour
Anthropologists have identified contexts in which things are not so seamless
and where the mind-set of an organisation is not adopted by its workers or
members, but challenged
Anita Mangan (2009):
Anthropologist who conducted research in credit unions in Ireland
Looked at the ways in which the concept of the individual entrepreneur and self-
motivated and self-directed individual does not always gel so seamlessly with
the more collective objectives of workers themselves
Professional
‘Fitting into the Business Market’:
Many studies show how the enterprising employee is often understood as a
calculating, entrepreneurial, self-disciplined individual who seeks to join into a
collective and be part of an organisational culture
This question of the professional person and particularly the issue of
personhood is one that anthropologists aim to address and dissect
The ways in which the person may be valued across cultures
As a theoretical device, personhood has captured the attention of
anthropologists. Two points about personhood:
1. Becoming – personhood is not one static thing
2. Personhood is the collection of traits and qualities that constitute the nature of
human beings among a certain social group (Bielo 2008: 323)
Bielo (2007):
Interested in the concept of personhood and its relation to financial success
Situates his work within business anthropology and did fieldwork in an
Evangelical Christian church congregation in the Midwestern United States
Interested in ‘Christian businessmen’ – they have a particular understanding of
financial success and prosperity which they equate with creating and being a
kind of person - born again person – converted Evangelical Christian
Particularly interested in tight coupling between conservative Christianity and
the imaginings and practices of money and its circulation
Found that with born-again Christian culture – dynamic between one’s faith and
one’s finances has a lot to do with type of person and one’s personhood]
Christian models of success are imbedded in cultural logic
Feature of being-born again – central feature of this was called ‘the New Mind’ –
this signified the fundamental transformation of the individual person from
being ‘unsaved’ to ‘saved’
This meant being converted to this denomination of Christianity – meant that
they thought differently – perceiving things differently – this was the mind-set
Different economic logics:
Financial success is predicated on becoming and being a particular kind of
religions person who thinks in a certain way
It isn’t based on clear economic logic based on any kinds of modes of exchange
– of wealth or services
Christianity, like other religions, requires a person to change on conversion, this
‘New Mind’ is based on the idea that as we change ourselves, we change the
way we think – we change ourselves as we change the way we think
Reminiscent of Geert Hofstede’s organisational culture model where the mind-
set underpins behaviour
Anthropologists have identified contexts in which things are not so seamless
and where the mind-set of an organisation is not adopted by its workers or
members, but challenged
Anita Mangan (2009):
Anthropologist who conducted research in credit unions in Ireland
Looked at the ways in which the concept of the individual entrepreneur and self-
motivated and self-directed individual does not always gel so seamlessly with
the more collective objectives of workers themselves
