Ethnography and Empathy in Innovation

If you are anything like me, the first time I read the word Ethnography, I went straight to google to find the definition. In my obsession with entrepreneurship and innovation practices, ethnography is an essential concept in human-centric design. Through innovation, I aim to enter the world with the problems I'm trying to solve, the people I wish to serve, and the results I want to achieve with empathy. The priority to enable empathy is to get close, I mean real close, where you can smell everything and know the slang and nuanced behavior of the people you serve. You get well acquainted with the inside jokes. Your immersion gives you in-depth insight into the culture, context, groups, and everyday life. This is ethnography.

During a 10-year period, I visited Belize nearly two dozen times on short-term trips with volunteers serving a children's home. Through these trips, I spent significant time walking the land, sleeping on the ground in villages accessible only by foot, eating ethnic cuisine, playing with children, snorkeling in the Caribbean, listening to unfamiliar sounds, and hearing stories. My brief immersion moments caused a cumulative reaction that initiated another ten years of serving the poor and economically disadvantaged in unique ways, stateside and abroad.

Caulfield states, "Ethnography is a type of qualitative research?that involves immersing yourself in a particular community or organization to observe their behavior and interactions up close. The word ethnography also refers to the written report of the research that the ethnographer produces afterwards. Ethnography is a flexible research method that allows you to gain a deep understanding of a group’s shared culture, conventions, and social dynamics. However, it also involves some practical and ethical challenges (Caulfield, 2022).

You have likely heard a phrase similar to "put yourself in other's shoes." In short, that is the process of ethnography. It leads to empathy. Somehow, when we spend time walking with others, we begin to feel differently about our differences and connected in our shared experiences. Empathy is a powerful force for benevolence in innovation. The why and how we create are important. A proverb in Scripture says, "All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit" (ESV, 2016). As Jordan Raynor succinctly says, "To God, motives matter a great deal" (Raynor, 2017, p. 70).

Many innovators have created incredible products and services. Fewer have done so with human-centered motives, not for personal gain or building their own name. Reading stories of other creators that inspire us to build for a purpose higher than the self is refreshing. As a follower of Christ, the call to create is to glorify the creator. If this call drives our endeavors, then excellence and people are center stage. People are not a means for profit. I have had to repent and renew my mind several times when the allure of profit overrules the true calling to create. Raynor says, "For those of us who are called to create, we are never done thinking about how the priorities of our Caller impact the why, what, and how of our creating" (Raynor, 2017, p. 114).

As the owner of a small sports and outdoor brand, the products I create, where and how they are created, and why we deliver them to customers matter greatly. For these reasons, I have personally visited the manufacturing facilities where our products are made. The time and expense to vet our business partners are imperative because our work matters before our creator and his creation. We are taking more active steps to align our design and what we create to consistently reflect our ambition to reflect God's character and love for the world. Our most recent project is a step toward maximizing our call to create to glorify God and love others.

References

Caulfield, J. (2022, September 14). What is ethnography?: Definition, guide & examples. Scribbr. Retrieved November 30, 2022, from https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/ethnography/?

Crossway. (2016).?The holy bible: English standard version: containing the old and new testaments.?

Raynor, J. (2017). Called to create: A biblical invitation to create, innovate, and risk. Baker Books.