Exploring the influence of reward practices on organisational culture: a comparative study of selected NGOs in South Sudan

Abstract

The overall research purpose was to explore the influence of reward practices on organisational culture at selected INGOs in South Sudan. The case study organisations were two INGOs operating in South Sudan providing humanitarian assistance. The research methodology outlined a qualitative case study design. A heterogeneous purposive sampling method was used to conduct semi structured interviews with the HR Managers, Finance Managers and Country Directors at the case study INGOs. The thematic analysis method was utilised to analyse the qualitative data drawn from the interviews and also organisational documents were analysed using the same method. The reliability and validity were enhanced by developing an interview protocol. The majority of the interview questions were open ended to encourage greater freedom in responses. The key findings from the study highlighted that a relationship was perceived to exist between reward practices and organisational culture. A number of cultures were found to exist alongside each other at both INGOs. Particular reward practices were found to relate most strongly with certain culture types. However, it was unclear the extent to the influence and whether reward always influenced organisational culture. The study recommended that a survey should be conducted at the INGOs to understand reward and culture views of national staff and subsequently to implement a revised reward strategy that integrates the INGO’s corporate strategy, mission and values. Further research is recommended to extend this study to explore reward and organisational culture including a more in-depth analysis of subcultures and national culture in a multi country study with a larger number of INGOs and a more diverse sample.