This series  has now closed. If you or your firm would be interested in participating in possible future workshops, please contact laura.conaghan@bankingstandardsboard.org.uk

Earlier this year we held an introductory workshop with the London School of Economics on using ethnography to learn more about your firm’s culture. This was attended by a number of our member firms, several of which expressed interest in further training that would help them apply some of the techniques described in-house.

We are now offering our member firms a series of workshops taught by Dr Daniel Beunza, Assistant Professor of Management at the London School of Economics. Dr Beunza is a specialist in the use of ethnographic techniques and has deployed them in a range of studies examining, for example, the automation of the New York Stock Exchange, a derivatives trading room on Wall Street, and the way in which shareholder groups engage with corporations.

This series of four workshops will run monthly from January to April 2017, and will equip participants with the practical skills needed to begin to use ethnographic techniques within their own firms. No prior experience or knowledge of ethnography is required, and participants do not need to have attended the previous overview workshop. We would encourage, where possible, the same individuals to attend each session in order to help create a learning and peer network between participants, but firms are of course free to send different people to each session if preferred.

Timetable and themes

Session 1

Friday 20 January, 2-4pm
Introduction to participant observation, the work of Bronislaw Malinowski, note-taking and practical exercise.

Session 2

Wednesday 15 February 2017, 2-4pm
Generating insight from observations in the field, the work of Michael Agar, schematic breakdowns, outdoor exercise.

Session 3

Wednesday 29 March 2017, 2-4pm
Ethnography in the 21st Century: from culture to technology and organisational processes, team exercise.

Session 4

Wednesday 26 April 2017, 2-4pm
Applying lessons to financial organisations and organisational change, financial reform.

Location:  London School of Economics

Costs

The BSB is organising this workshop series on the basis of covering costs only. The cost per attendee will therefore depend on the total number attending; the greater the number of participants, the lower the cost per head. The minimum number of participants required is 6; the maximum number is 20. With 6 participants, the cost would be £1500 per person for the whole series of four workshops; with 20, it would fall to £450 per person.

If you would like to be part of this training initiative, please contact Laura Conaghan.

Background

Long-term observational ethnographic methods are one way of gaining valuable insights into culture and behaviour (and the variations in culture and behaviour) within organisations. This practically focused series will be led by Dr Daniel Beunza, Assistant Professor of Management at the LSE and part of the Organisational Behaviour Faculty Group within the LSE’s Department of Management. Dr Beunza is a specialist in the use of ethnography techniques, which he has deployed in recent studies examining the effect of the automation of the New York Stock Exchange; a derivative trading room on Wall Street; and the way in which shareholder groups engage with corporations.