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Innovationsin the VBDC
Karen Greenough, PhDV5 Coordination & Change
Social Anthropologist
An Ethnographic Examination of
Contents Who am I?
Why ethnographicinnovation research?
Ethnographic methodology
Some anthropological principles
What does this have to do with Innovation Research?
What is innovation and how do wefind it?
Will we find innovations?
Where are we?
Where do we want to go?
Where we hope to end up …
Who am I?
I joined the Peace Corps in 1985 ... ... and I’ve lived off and on in Niger for 15+ years ...
living in villages, on the range, and conducting ethnographic research.
Because “Management” said so?
Because Funke decided that “ethnography” sounded good?
Through ethnographic methodology, the researcher understands another “life world” by experiencing that world together with the research subjects.
http://aloxecorton.wordpress
http://stirling.kent.ac.uk
Why Innovation Research?Why Ethnography?
Why Innovation Research?Why Ethnography? This understanding by experience
leads to a unique form of story-telling: Narrative structure Native point of view (researcher, villager, extension agent) … With information about the ethnographer’s position, relationships to
subjects, etc. Focus on everyday life as lived in real time Context and background in terms of the literature, history, theory, etc.
End goal: A story of VBDC research and innovation that encompasses the whole program.
http://aloxecorton.wordpress
http://stirling.kent.ac.uk
Adapted from Carole McGranahan’s Savage Minds blog post, 31May 2012
Methodology: Gathering Data
Talking to people In-depth interviews Surveys: semi-structured &
structured Conversations
Gathering histories
Participation-Observation
Mapping
Participatory Methodology
Reading
Documentation
Coding
Statistics
Networks
Maps
Charting: e.g. household budgets
Depends on the research: research question, data collected, results obtained, and the presentation desired
Methodology: AnalysisA
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Some Anthropological Principles Cultural Relativity
~ what people believe and domakes sense within their culture ~
Holistic Approach
~ looking at as much of thewhole picture as possible ~
Processual Perspective
~ examining the evolution– changes over time –
of artifacts, practices, societies, cultures ~
Entrée
~ becoming mutually familiar with research subjects so that they are comfortable enough
to tell what they know ~
Scientific Research on/withPeople:
Rigor & Validity People can only tell us what
they know
Their information will be limited by (at least): what questions we ask how we ask/present the questions the amount of time they have to answer those
questions the people who are around them
when they are asked the questions
They may also, for various reasons give us only answers that they think
we want to hear and/or purposely mislead us
Scientific Research on/with People:
Rigor & Validity
Some of the information that we obtain may be some of the truth;none of it will be the whole truth.
To obtain more complete data wetriangulate:
~ gather data from different sources,using different methods ~
We probe for more and better data
We constantly question the datathat we’ve collected.
What does this have to do with …
Innovation Research in the VBDC To carry out rigorous research & collect valid data:
Interviews: semi-structured Conversations Reading: reports, etc. Participation-Observation
Meetings & workshops Researchers’ work Stakeholders’ work
Charting and networking : e.g. data on stakeholders Mapping Documentation
Most of this must be carried out “in the field”
What is innovation? Someone takes information and/or technology and …
Changes their practices Creates something new:
New practice New technology New organization
What does innovationmean to you?
How do we find innovation? Talking to people: local stakeholders, researchers, research partners at
all levels Observing & participating in (experiencing) practices Talking to more people
How do we find innovation?
Rigor & Validity Careful interviewing
Talking to people individually,where they feel comfortable
Using a translator who is not part of the project Probing
Triangulation Seeing what people are talking about Participation when possible Talking to other people: Verifying information Understanding the context, background
& history Reports, papers Meetings/workshops Asking about village histories
Will we find innovations?
Opportunities
Null hypothesis? Assume that they are out there?
Challenges There are many project
sites and stakeholders Too many places Too many people All widely dispersed
Need entrée Will people stretch the
truth?
There are many project sites and stakeholders
Many places to look Many people to talk to
Most people like to talk about and show their project orlivelihood work
Where are we? So far we know who many of
you are and what you do … Background information on all
of the projects Proposals & semi-annual reports Some activity reports Observation & limited participation at meetings/workshops
Limited information on stakeholders Many questions remaining, e.g.: Who are they all? How are they linked to project partners? How do you define “end user”, “next user”, “boundary partner”?
Entrée with some local researchers
But we have a long way to go …
Where we want to go … Interviews with team
researchers at all levels
Interviews with key stakeholders
Observation-participation: Seeing and “experiencing”
various project interventions Conversations Measuring, mapping &
documentation
Next spring, possible innovation workshops with key stakeholders from different levels
Analysis & writing
Need help from project leaders and researchers
Conversations Identifying key project
stakeholders at all levels for further investigation
Entrée to key stakeholders Participation-observation of
project work Activity reports … more! Information about possible
innovations Corrections, filling holes, etc.
Where we hopeto end up A story about change and
innovation as a result of VBDC research & interventions
More than a “Most Significant Change Story”
An analysis of the process of particular changes and innovations:
What happened where? Who was involved? How did the change or innovation come about? Why did it come about? How does it correlate with past and current changes happening in
the same milieu? What does it mean for the future?
Thank you! Merci!