Book · 1993 · Business & Economics
Ethnography in Organizations
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In 1989, Schwartzman published a book called The Meeting, Gatherings in Organizations and Communities.
Stephen Dubner · Freakonomics Radio · May 2020 Why people recommend it
Ethnography in Organizations by Helen B. Schwartzman, originally published under the title The Meeting: Gatherings in Organizations and Communities, is an anthropological study that explores how meetings function as cultural rituals within various institutions. The book was referenced on Freakonomics Radio by host Stephen Dubner across multiple episodes addressing the perennial problem of bad workplace meetings. When introducing the history of organizational research, Dubner noted that Schwartzman published her comprehensive book in 1989, establishing foundational anthropological insights into why people gather in professional settings. The podcast used this historical anchor to trace how organizational thinkers have long attempted to decode the social dynamics, power structures, and communicative patterns embedded within routine corporate gatherings. By bringing up Schwartzman's academic work, the show demonstrated that contemporary frustrations with meetings are deeply rooted in longstanding cultural and institutional habits. The reference provided listeners with a broader scholarly context, showing that the modern quest to fix workplace productivity is part of a decades-long tradition of organizational ethnography and behavioral research.
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Stephen Dubner In 1989, Schwartzman published a book called The Meeting, Gatherings in Organizations and Communities. 2
“In 1989, Schwartzman published a book called The Meeting, Gatherings in Organizations and Communities.”
“In 1989, Schwartzman published a book called The Meeting, Gatherings in Organizations and Communities.”
