The state of UNHCR’s organization culture

“The State of UNHCR’s Organization Culture” is the report of a research project
undertaken in collaboration between the Staff Development Section and the
Evaluation and Policy Analysis Unit of UNHCR, and the University of Melbourne in
Australia. The study was developed independently of any other existing processes
or reviews and the data was primarily gathered between November 2003 and April
2004.
The report essentially argues that the culture and climate of this organization have a
significant impact on organizational performance and outcomes. Organization
culture consists of commonly held overt and unspoken assumptions or
understandings that are learned and passed on to new members and which serve as
guides to acceptable and unacceptable perceptions, thoughts, feelings and
behaviours. Organization climate refers to employees’ perceptions about the way in
which their workplace functions, including their experience of, for example,
leadership and managerial practices, key policies, interpersonal dynamics and
communication, and the emotional tenor of the workplace. With a specific focus
upon these elements, the research analysed a wide range of organizational issues
from the perspective of their interaction with organization culture, climate and
dynamics. Taking this perspective as the central theme, it should be noted that the
report does not set out to provide a definitive assessment of the organization as a
whole; for example, it does not provide analysis of operations from a technical,
financial or political standpoint, although these factors are considered in as much as
they infuence or are influenced by organizational culture and climate. Through the
discussion and analysis, the report emphasises that lack of attention to cultural
factors ensures limited success in any change endeavours, lowers organizational
morale and reduces the overall effectiveness of the organization.
The research was conducted utilising a qualitative approach in line with established
methodology in the research of culture arising from anthropology and systems
psycho-dynamic frameworks. It draws upon ethnographic, in depth interview and
participant observation techniques, along with some documentation review. The
rigor of the approach lies in the number of people participating in individual or
group interviews (over 100), the length of time spent immersed in the organization
(around five months in the data gathering phase and a further three months
validating the findings) and the number of country operations visited (13, including
HQ). A number of staff assisted in the development and refinement of the final
report by providing responses to their reading of the first drafts, which were
subsequently incorporated into the final product.