Is Undercover Boss Guerilla Ethnography?

There’s a new show on CBS called Undercover Boss where C-suite executives from companies like 7-Eleven, Waste Management, and White Castle go undercover within their own companies. Over the course of a week they try a series of jobs on the front line of their organizations and learn invaluable lessons about their companies.

While their methods and practices certainly don’t comply with the ethical guidelines of the AAA (American Anthropology Association), what they are revealing is that ethnography can be a valuable tool for turning the lens on our own organizations.

It is participant-observation that gives them an honest and uncensored view of their company from the perspectives of the work force. In each episode, the executives learn things they never would have thought to consider, how their policies are impacting the front line, and the realities of their employees’ professional and personal lives.

What we can all take away from this is that the view from the corner office is extremely myopic. Executives don’t have to go undercover to see what’s happening within their companies. Instead, they should be spending time on a consistent basis understanding the day-to-day happenings at all levels. Over time, they will find that their perspectives widen and when they make decisions in the boardroom, they will increasingly positively impact efficiency, effectiveness, and moral.