The International Committee of the Red Cross (icrc): Managing Across Culture

THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS (ICRC): MANAGING ACROSS CULTURE

'We were an orgn made up of Swiss generalists. We are becoming a multicultural and professional enterprise."

1. INTRODUCTION

Dr. Jacques Stroun, M.D. - (1999) Director of Human Resources & Finance (before Head of Detention Division, Deputy Director of Operations)

ICRC - provide humanitarian relief, Humanitarian 'Multinational' Organisation

Home base: Geneva, Switzerland

Orgn Values - Neutrality, Independence, Discretion & Humanism

Total Workforce - (2008) over 14,000 over 100 nationalities

Until recently - ICRC is very Swiss , very Genevoise

Expatriate - open to all nationalities but 93% is westerners (1992)

Changing expatriate composition - expatriates number increasing - Africa, Asia & Latin America

HR Policy - recruitment from Geneva - sent to field with 'learning by doing', operate under sense of danger, meeting immediate challenges, focus on short term, quickly develops and reinforces team and team loyalties, rotation every 12 months, no formal training, no continuity for developing people,

Career - little career planning, career developed through interpersonal networks & driven by opportunities, most recruits stayed for 2 to 3 years, no management development, those remain and reach top of HQ -mostly Swiss male (old school boys club)

CURRENT CHALLENGES - greater diversity in mgmt ranks - more professionals, foreigners and women.

NEW STRATEGIC PLAN (2007 -2010) - challenges to HRM. 3 mgmt priorities - 1. Multidisciplinary; 2. Greater accountability & 3. Increased efficiency thru' results based management. Role of HQ? - Centralised or Decentralised? Policies & Procedures needed to be Standardised to achieve efficiency & operation coherence but ensure flexibility;

CHALLENGES FOR HR - Clarify roles and responsibilities; performance based management system; increase staff for rapid deployment, provide mgmt development & career planning, align ind. Interests & competencies with orgn's needs & priorities; growing diversity especially promo of women to top mgmt positions.

HOW ICRC ADAPT TO THESE STRATEGIC DEMANDS WHILE PRESERVING CULTURE CRITICAL TO UPHOLDING MISSION OF NEUTRAL, INDEPENDENT, HUMANITARIAN ACTION (NIHA).

ICRC Culture - barrier to implementation of new strategic direction?

2. THE HUMANITARIAN SECTOR (external environmental change)

World witness massive increase of both natural and man-made disasters

Globalisation and terrorism

2003 - 200 million - natural disaster; 45 million - complex emergency ie. Civil war

End of Cold War - leads to more intractable type of war

Greater political instability - weak governance

Armed conflicts - active and deliberate targeting of civilians, widespread human rights abuses & use of crimes of violence as weapons of wars

Humanitarian - politicised

Securing funds -more difficult; net aids from DAC fallen sharply

UN - An Agenda of Peace, no universal criteria for military humanitarian interventation

Peace-keeping operations; UN impartiality?

UN agencies -centralised decision making; ICRC - start in the field

Armed conflict -danger, unpredictable, precipitous change, hardship, chaos - stress and burnout -

PERFORMANCE - Survival & Integrity of Individuals and group of people; employee survival, keeping life and limbs. - High turnover of expatriates & limits staff experience and inst. Memory.

Humanitarian ops - less about crisis and emergency BUT more of rehabilitation & development to build local competencies

3. INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS & RED CRESCENT (IRCRC)

IRCRC - largest humanitarian network in the world

Orgn - IRC ie ICRC, IFRC & over 180 National Societies or NS

3 entities bounded by common heritage & commitment to 7 Fundamental Principles

i.e. humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity & universality

independent but often work with partners

IFRC - focuses on natural or technological disasters; support public sector, work with NS

ICRC - guardian of Red Cross Principles & of International Humanitarian Law, recognition provider to NS, signatory to the Geneva Convention

4. ICRC

1859 - Henri Dunant, witness the War of Italian Unification, wrote A Memory of Solferino, proposed 1. Formation of national relief societies to supplement armed forces with medical; 2. Develop international convention to protect sick & wounded in combat.

Red Cross - reflects Swiss values ie. Autonomy, egalitarianism, consensus-seeking

Switzerland - federalism; French (HQ) and English (field)

Red Cross - Red Crescent - Red Crystal (sign of purity & transparency)

5. ICRC STRATEGY 2007 -10

2006 - Identify key internal & external challenges :

Due to increasing competition, What sd be the scope of actions or range of ICRC activities?

Sd ICRC go for a niche strategy?

What type of relationsp sd ICRC established with partners & competitors?

What sd be ICRC role in humanitarian sector?

Discussion led to:

 Core mission - keep devlpg 'all-victims & all-needs approach' in armed conflicts

 Partnership with NS

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