Two-Eyed Seeing in Business Scholarship: A Framework for Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Research | C. Lynn Kendall | ResearchPod

Transcript: Two-Eyed Seeing in Business Scholarship: A Framework for Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Research

Alex: Who gets to decide whether business research has succeeded? A proposed framework gives communities a role alongside researchers, using Indigenous and Western knowledge without merging them.

Sam: That sounds like more than adding community interviews to a conventional study. Whose proposal is this?

Alex: It’s a conceptual methods paper by C. Lynn Kendall at Memorial University of Newfoundland, published in conference proceedings in 2025. The title is “Two-Eyed Seeing in Business Scholarship.” Kendall argues that business research can draw on both knowledge systems while respecting their differences.

Sam: For researchers planning community partnerships, that could change who shapes the question and judges the answer.

Alex: And who benefits from the work. We’ll unpack the framework, follow its business examples, and distinguish what it proposes from what it actually demonstrates.

Sam: Start with the problem it addresses. What is missing from the way business research usually works?

Alex: Kendall describes business scholarship as relying heavily on Western research traditions. The broader history of research involving Indigenous peoples includes knowledge extraction without consent, misuse of data, and failure to credit participants. Communities were treated as subjects, rather than partners.

Sam: So the issue isn’t simply that researchers have overlooked another useful source of information. It’s also who controls knowledge and its use.

Alex: Kendall connects that history to hierarchies that privilege supposedly objective knowledge while dismissing relational, spiritual, narrative, or place-based knowledge. Decolonisation, here, means dismantling those colonial power structures in research. It requires changing how knowledge is produced, valued, and used.

Sam: Where does Two-Eyed Seeing enter that argument? Is Kendall introducing the idea?

Alex: No. The paper traces it to Mi’kmaq Elders Albert Marshall and Murdena Marshall. Its guiding principle is to see with the strengths of Indigenous knowledge through one eye, and Western knowledge through the other. Then use both together for everyone’s benefit.

Sam: The word “integrating” could suggest blending everything into a single method. Is that what the Elders intended?

Alex: Kendall explicitly says it is not. Each perspective retains distinct strengths and limitations. The paper also stresses that Mi’kmaw knowledge is only part of a much wider diversity of Indigenous knowledge systems.

Sam: That distinction matters. Otherwise, a researcher could treat “Indigenous knowledge” as one interchangeable category.

Two-Eyed Seeing in Business Scholarship: A Framework for Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Research

C. Lynn Kendall

Oct 14, 2026·8:19·zotero

Two-Eyed SeeingDecolonisation of ResearchRelationality (Msit No’kmaq)PositionalityBusiness ScholarshipDecolonising Research Methodologies

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8 min

Summary

The Call for Two-Eyed Seeing in Business

Historically, research involving Indigenous peoples has been defined by extractive, colonial practices that marginalized Indigenous knowledge systems as anecdotal or unscientific. The author argues that business scholarship is overdue for a paradigm shift. By adopting the principle of Two-Eyed Seeing, introduced by Mi'kmaq Elders Albert and Murdena Marshall, business researchers can begin to bridge the divide between Indigenous ways of knowing and Western academic frameworks. This approach does not aim to blend these perspectives into one, but rather encourages scholars to view complex management and social responsibility issues through both eyes simultaneously, leveraging the unique strengths of each.

A Framework for Integration

Using the framework established by Reid et al. (2021), the author outlines a circular, co-learning process for business research. This process begins by establishing mutual research interests and proceeds through co-developing research tools, validating findings with the community, and ensuring that all partners receive recognition. Unlike traditional business research that often views Indigenous communities as subjects to be studied, this approach positions the community as an active partner. The methodology emphasizes relational accountability, ensuring that researchers remain responsible to the communities, ancestors, and environments involved in their work.

Practical Application in Business

To illustrate the versatility of Two-Eyed Seeing, the paper contrasts its application in an Indigenous-led organization (Clearwater Seafoods) and a non-Indigenous social enterprise (Shorefast Foundation). By applying the Two-Eyed Seeing framework, researchers can evaluate corporate success not just through traditional Western metrics like return on investment or market share, but also through Indigenous indicators such as community well-being, cultural continuity, and long-term stewardship of the land and sea. This holistic perspective offers a path forward for business scholarship to contribute directly to reconciliation and decolonization efforts.

Key Terms and Definitions

Two-Eyed Seeing — A guiding principle proposed by Mi’kmaq Elders that encourages learning to see from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous knowledge and the other eye with the strengths of Western knowledge.
Relational Accountability — An Indigenous research concept requiring that knowledge reside within the context of relationships and that the researcher remains accountable to the people and communities they engage with.
Economic Nutrition — A concept employed by organizations like the Shorefast Foundation representing a transparent approach to business where the flow of capital and benefits to the local community is tracked and prioritized.
Epistemic Injustice — The systemic dismissal or devaluation of Indigenous knowledge systems and ways of knowing within dominant Western academic institutions.
Indigenization — The process of affirming Indigenous knowledge systems by intentionally incorporating Indigenous methodologies, ethics, and research questions into the academic research process.

Abstract

This paper explores the concept of Two-Eyed Seeing, a guiding principle for integrating Indigenous and Western knowledge systems, in business research. By viewing the world through both perspectives, researchers can foster a more inclusive understanding of complex issues. This paper employs a framework established by Reid et al (2021) to explore Indigenous and non-Indigenous research. Engaging business scholarship with a Two-Eyed Seeing approach provides opportunities to enhance cultural competence, generate innovative insights, and contribute to reconciliation efforts, promoting ethical practices and meaningful collaborations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.

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