W6: Ethnography and Quant: Scenes from an unlikely marriage

Abstract

Once upon a time, business folk saw truth mostly in numbers. For many a decision maker in the not so distant past, if a research finding didn’t have a number attached to it, the validity of that finding was called into question. Happily, for members of the EPIC community, business folk now see truth in lots of ways: stories, photos, video, quotes, anecdotes, sketches, conceptual frameworks, and more. This is the result of the hard and impactful work of many from our community, and speaks to the growing relevance we have within the industries we serve.

Throughout this journey to industry relevance, we have frequently positioned ourselves as entirely alternative (and sometimes better) than quantitative approaches. However, in recent years, advances in digital ethnographic methodologies have started to blur the line between qual and quant, both in terms of execution and analysis. In the spirit the conference theme for 2010, this workshop calls for members of the EPIC community to expand our notion of our community, our understanding of our collaborative set, and challenge the EPIC growth trajectory. The workshop is intended to start the conversation about the value of occasionally “marrying” ethnography to quantitative research, and learning how to love their offspring.

The workshop will be run by four researchers from three different organizations, all of whom grapple with the challenge combining qualitative and quantitative methods. We will explore everything from the value of a combined approach to compelling ways of thinking about the outputs of such an approach. We will share our experiences, what we’ve learned, and structure discussion and activities so that attendees can learn from each other and continue to shape their exposure to the unlikely marriage of ethnography and quant.

Approach

The workshop will aim to discuss (if not answer) the following questions:

• What can we learn from quant?
• What can quant learn from us?
• Who’s doing it well? Why?
• What is hard about quant?
• What should the future look like for this marriage?
• How can we push quant methodologies?
  

Structure

Pre workshop: All workshop attendees will be sent an invitation to participate in a survey. The results of this survey will be fodder for the workshop

Workshop:

1. Introductions and Context setting (15 minutes).
2. Presentations & Discussions (60 minutes):
   Workshop organizers will present material to act as stimulus to a broader discussion about ethnographic and quantitative research. These presentations and discussions will cover:
   1. The framing of the problem of quantitative and qualitative research as one of “observation,” “generalization,” and “validity” – to create a common language for each method to speak to the other
   2. The basic tenets of quant research, starting with the types of numbers associated with various research subjects, what measures apply to those numbers, what tests apply to those measures
   3. The broader body of quantitative methodologies, why they are applied, what they are useful for, and their limits (including innovative and cutting edge methods)
   4. Ways that workshop organizers have merged ethnographic and quantitative research in their current work
   5. Attendees will be asked to share what they are currently struggling with merging ethnography and quant, and we will capture key challenges, questions, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
3. Collaborative working session/breakouts (45 minutes):
   Workshop organizers will present the findings from the quant survey conducted pre-conference and we will break into teams. Teams will use the survey data to design an ethnographic study to supplement/compliment findings from quant, or possibly think about how might have had an impact in survey design (or both)
   15 minute Break
4. Report back (30 minutes)
5. Recap (15 minutes)

Target Audience

This workshop should be open only to attendees who have dealt with (or will soon deal with) the challenge of combining ethnography and quantitative research. Each attendee will be asked to bring examples of their work on this topic and be prepared to talk through their methodology. We will cap the number of attendees at 20.

Organizers

Todd Cherkasky, Ph.D., Director, SapientNitro
Todd heads SapientNitro’s Research & Analysis practice, which provides services across strategy, discovery, definition, and assessment using qualitative, quantitative, primary and secondary research methodologies. With over 15 years of applied experience in research and strategy, he has conducted extensive research on customer experience and has published and presented widely on human-centered design.

Todd has developed new business models, innovation frameworks, interactive web solutions, high-performance work systems, and industrial automation and machine control systems. Todd was the conference chair for the Sixth Biennial Conference on Participatory Design. He received Ph.D. and M.S. degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the study of technology design and workplace change. He also has a B.S. in Computer Engineering and B.A. in English Literature from the University of Michigan.

Martha Cotton, Partner and Head of Research at gravitytank, Chicago, IL
Martha leads gravitytank’s research team, helping clients understand their unique situations and clearly see new opportunities for growth. She is broadly recognized for her expertise, as evidenced by her role as co-chair of EPIC (Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference) in Copenhagen in 2008, and in Chicago in 2009. EPIC is a global conference dedicated to furthering the practice of ethnographic methods to inform business and design. She joined GT from Herbst Lazar Bell, where she was Vice President of Research & Strategy and led programs across a variety of strategic and tactical levels. Previous to HLB, Martha was Ethnographic Research practice lead at Hall-and-Partners, a brand and communications research firm, as well as Research Director at Sapient Corporation, a technology consulting firm.

Martha began her career at eLab, which is frequently lauded as a pioneer in developing ethnographic research methods in service of business goals. Martha brings a wealth of experience in ethnographic and observational research, focus groups, user interface development, and data collection and analysis. She has been a trusted advisor to an impressive roster of companies that includes General Motors, Nokia, General Mills, Marriott, Unilever, U. S. Department of Homeland Security, Nextel, SC Johnson Wax, Sara Lee, and Johnson & Johnson. Martha holds an MA in Performance Studies from Northwestern University and a BA in English from Indiana University, and she currently serves as adjunct faculty at Northwestern University in both the McCormick School of Engineering and Kellogg School of Management.

Neal Patel, People Analytics, Google Inc.
Neal Patel has been with Google since June 2008, where he is a member of People Analytics team and a principal member of the People & Innovation Lab (PiLab), research & development group dedicated to transforming organizational practice within Google and beyond. He is concurrently finishing a PhD in the Department of Sociology at the University of Chicago.
Prior to Google, Neal worked for various think tanks and research organizations, including the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) and the Metro-Chicago Information Center (MCIC). At NORC, Neal worked on a pilot program for No Child Left Behind, and contributed to two publications on developing mortgage markets for the World Bank/IFC. At MCIC, he studied the economic dimensions of informal and indie arts sector in Chicago.

As a graduate student, Neal worked closely with leading globalization expert Saskia Sassen. He has contributed to books such as The Global City: New York, London, Tokyo (2001) and Territory, Authority, Rights (2006). His dissertation research on the pharmaceutical industry examines the legal strategies large corporations employ when they sue each other."

Adrian Slobin, Director, Sapient
Adrian Slobin is Director of Marketing Strategy and Analysis in Sapient’s Minneapolis office . He has over nine years of consulting experience working with Fortune 500 clients around the globe, including Staples, GM, Comcast, Wells Fargo, Target, and General Mills. His areas of expertise include consumer research and analysis, interactive strategy and design, business process modeling, and IT strategy development. Most recently, he led a multi-channel eCommerce strategy engagement at Target. He is part of Sapient’s Research and Analysis practice.

Adrian graduated from Swarthmore College with High Honors and has an advance degree from Northwestern University.