Rotterdam school of Management, Erasmus University compact logo

Article: Thursday, 12 January 2023

If addressing important humanitarian and development problems – the ‘global grand challenges’ – is a priority for all kinds of organisations working together, why is progress so slow? It might be because there are systemic barriers preventing responses from being effective. These barriers have been identified by Dr Corinna Frey-Heger, an assistant professor in the department of Business-Society Management at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM). Her research shows that without awareness of these barriers, organisations may actually intensify the problems they mean to solve. And she points out how important it is to think about managing these problems differently than you would for typical business problems. 

Unexpected outcome

Dr Frey-Heger and her co-researchers wanted to find out how organisations like UN agencies, NGOs and humanitarian charities could respond more efficiently to the grand challenge of global displacement.

The outcome wasn’t what they expected. “We were focusing purely on acute refugee crises because we thought this was the problem. We were wrong!” Instead, Dr Frey-Heger’s research identifies barriers that result in relief organisations moving further away from – and perhaps unwittingly intensifying – the problems that arise when they respond to refugee crises.

The researchers focused on Rwanda in 2015, shortly after thousands of refugees arrived from Burundi. Dr Corinna Frey-Heger stayed for three months to better understand how humanitarian organisations respond to acute displacement.

Long-term problems

What stood out was not the acute crisis, but the long-term nature of displacement in Rwanda. Most refugee camps there had existed for more than five years, others for more than a decade, and they found families that had been in the camps for years. New generations had been born and raised in these refugee camps,” she said.

Yet not only did these people often receive the same first aid-kits, emergency food rations, blankets and water as if they had just arrived – overwhelming and frustrating the aid workers – but also the longevity of refugee camps made it more likely that problems would arise. The longer the contained camps were in existence, the more conflicts with surrounding communities, funding shortages, and intensified violence. Interviewees told Dr Frey-Heger that organisations even had to divert funding to mitigate the results of having created a social hotspot in the camps.

It turns out that these problems originated from relief organisations’ responses that initially appeared to be sensible but would later become a hindrance.

Part of the problem, say the researchers, is that the actions causing the barriers are often so deeply engrained that organisations and professionals are often not even aware of them. Previous research has predominantly offered micro-level or psychological explanations, but Frey-Heger’s research offers an understanding of the macro-level barriers that prevent organisations from effectively tackling grand challenges.

Awareness of these barriers may be an important prerequisite for overcoming them in practice, and that might be true for organisations working on other grand challenges too.

On a societal level, our study helps to unpick the barriers that organisations face in tackling grand challenges, and what makes our study important is that we outline how organisations themselves may be implicated in forming those barriers

Don’t discount alternative values

Dr Frey-Heger gives an example – and it’s a surprisingly fundamental one. What happened was that organisations working together needed to find some common ground and a shared underlying value to guide their joint response to displacement. In the case that she observed, the organisations agreed on ‘protection’. However, when she interviewed the organisations’ employees, they referred to “an obsession with the protection mandate” that discounted any alternative values and effectively limited the solutions available.

“On a societal level, our study helps to unpick the barriers that organisations face in tackling grand challenges, and what makes our study important is that we outline how organisations themselves may be implicated in forming those barriers,” she said.

“Keep this research in mind because it identifies the barriers engrained in the wider system – if you know what to look for. It is very difficult to detect them, and our study helps to create awareness for these barriers and their unintended consequences.”

dr. C. (Corinna) Frey-Heger
Assistant Professor
Rotterdam School of Management (RSM)
Erasmus University Rotterdam
Photo
Corinna Frey-Heger
Pile of books with vibrant bookmarks protruding from various pages, symbolizing in-depth research.

Related articles

RSM Discovery

Want to elevate your business to the next level using the latest research? RSM Discovery is your online research platform. Read the latest insights from the best researchers in the field of business. You can also subscribe to the newsletter to receive a bimonthly highlight with the most popular articles.

Do you want to learn more about this subject?

Check out these RSM education programmes

Conscientious Organisations
Conscientious Organisations
  • 10 Mar 2025
  • 3 days
  • 3,600
Digital Leadership and Change
Digital Leadership and Change
  • 2 Dec 2024
  • 3 days
  • 3,500
Navigating Power Dynamics
Navigating Power Dynamics
  • 19 Dec 2024
  • 2 days
  • 3,100
Crisis Communication
Crisis Communication
  • 18 Nov 2025
  • 3 days
  • 3,600
MScBA Parttime Master in Management
MScBA Parttime Master in Management
  • 2 jaar
  • 2,530
Finance for Non-Financial Managers
Finance for Non-Financial Managers
  • 6 Feb 2025
  • 2 days
  • 3,200
Design Thinking
Design Thinking
  • 7 May 2025
  • 6 weeks
  • 1,300
MScBA Business Analytics & Management
MScBA Business Analytics & Management
  • 12 months
    • €2,530 (EEA)*|
    • €22,500 (Non-EEA)
    • *see details on page
Digital and AI Strategy
Digital and AI Strategy
  • 10 March 2025
  • 3,500
Digital Innovation
Digital Innovation
  • 7 May 2025
  • 3 days
  • 3,600
Executive MBA
Executive MBA
  • 18 months
  • 68,000
Digital Analytics and Customer Insights
Digital Analytics and Customer Insights
  • 7 Apr 2025
  • 3 days
  • 3,600
Corporate Responsibility
Corporate Responsibility
  • 3 days
  • 3,400
Co-creation & Stakeholder Engagement
Co-creation & Stakeholder Engagement
  • 3 days
  • 3,600
MSc Finance & Investments
MSc Finance & Investments
  • 12 months
    • €2,530 (EEA)*|
    • €22,500 (Non-EEA)
    • *see details on page
MScBA Master in Management
MScBA Master in Management
  • 12 months
    • €2,530 (EEA)*|
    • €22,500 (Non-EEA)
    • *see details on page
Reputation Management
Reputation Management
  • 3 days
  • 3,600
MSc Management of Innovation
MSc Management of Innovation
  • 12 months
    • €2,530 (EEA)*|
    • €22,500 (Non-EEA)
    • *see details on page
Corporate Branding
Corporate Branding
  • 3 days
  • 3,600
MSc MI Medical Business & Innovation
MSc MI Medical Business & Innovation
MSc Strategic Entrepreneurship
MSc Strategic Entrepreneurship
  • 12 months
    • €2,530 (EEA)*|
    • €22,500 (Non-EEA)
    • *see details on page
Make Strategy Work
Make Strategy Work
  • 6 May 2025
  • 3 days
  • 3,900
Corporate Purpose, Leadership and Communication
Corporate Purpose, Leadership and Communication
  • 8 Dec 2025
  • 3 days
  • 3,600
Leading the Energy Transition
Leading the Energy Transition
  • 23 Jun 2025
  • 5 days
  • 6,500
Women in Leadership
Women in Leadership
  • 2 days
  • 1,950
Space for Business
Space for Business
MScBA Accounting & Financial Management
MScBA Accounting & Financial Management
  • 12 months
    • €2,530 (EEA)*|
    • €22,500 (Non-EEA)
    • *see details on page
International Full-time MBA
International Full-time MBA
  • 12 months
  • 65,000
Employee Communication
Employee Communication
  • 14 May 2025
  • 3 days
  • 3,600
Digital Communication
Digital Communication
  • 9 Dec 2024
  • 3 days
  • 3,400
Strategic Problem Solving
Strategic Problem Solving
  • 27 Nov 2024
  • 2 days
  • 2,700
Strategic Communication
Strategic Communication
  • 29 Sept 2025
  • 3 days
  • 3,600
English Language Premaster
English Language Premaster
Essentials of Leadership
Essentials of Leadership
  • 11 Dec 2024
  • 3 days
  • 3,600
Leadership and Communication
Leadership and Communication
  • 7 Apr 2025
  • 3 days
  • 3,600
The Challenge of Leadership
The Challenge of Leadership
  • 4 days
  • 6,500
Diploma Programme in Advanced Business Valuation
Diploma Programme in Advanced Business Valuation
  • 29 Sept 2025
  • 4 - 6 months
    • €15,500 | €23,000 *
    • * see details on page
Organisational Change
Organisational Change
  • 3 days
  • 3,600
MSc Global Business & Sustainability
MSc Global Business & Sustainability
  • 12 months
    • €2,530 (EEA)*|
    • €22,500 (Non-EEA)
    • *see details on page
Diploma Programme in Digital Transformation
Diploma Programme in Digital Transformation
  • 1 Jan 2025
  • 1 January
  • 11,000
Business Valuation Workshops
Business Valuation Workshops
  • 18 Dec 2024
  • 1 day
  • 500
BSc International Business Administration (IBA)
BSc International Business Administration (IBA)
  • 3 years
    • € 2,530 (EEA)*|
    • € 11,600 (Non-EEA)
    • *see details on page
Diploma Programme in General Management
Diploma Programme in General Management
  • 17 Mar 2025
  • 1 year
    • €13,100 -
    • €15,500 depending on modules chosen *
    • * see details on the page
Global Executive MBA
Global Executive MBA
  • 21 months
  • 72,000
Leading with Presence
Leading with Presence
  • 30 Jan 2025
  • 2 days
  • 2,600
MSc Business Information Management
MSc Business Information Management
  • 12 months
    • €2,530 (EEA)*|
    • €22,500 (Non-EEA)
    • *see details on page
Sustainable Finance
Sustainable Finance
  • 2 Dec 2024
  • 3 days
  • 3,600
Summer Foundation Course in Corporate Communication
Summer Foundation Course in Corporate Communication
  • 16 Jun 2025
  • 4 days
  • 5,550
MSc People, Organisations & Change
MSc People, Organisations & Change
  • 12 months
    • €2,530 (EEA)*|
    • €22,500 (Non-EEA)
    • *see details on page
Effective Negotiating Skills
Effective Negotiating Skills
  • 4 Feb 2025
  • 3 days
  • 3,950
Strategic Account Management
Strategic Account Management
  • 12 Mar 2025
  • 3 days
  • €4,000
MSc Strategic Management
MSc Strategic Management
  • 12 months
    • €2,530 (EEA)*|
    • €22,500 (Non-EEA)
    • *see details on page
Team Leadership
Team Leadership
  • 17 Mar 2025
  • 3 days
  • 3,900
Leading Change
Leading Change
  • 24 Mar 2025
  • 3 days
  • 4,000
Issues Management & Public Affairs
Issues Management & Public Affairs
  • 3 Jun 2025
  • 3 days
  • 3,600
Finance for Communication Professionals
Finance for Communication Professionals
  • 3 days
  • 3,600
Innovation Management
Innovation Management
  • 19 May 2025
  • 3 days
  • 4,000
Beyond HR: People, Culture and Transformation
Beyond HR: People, Culture and Transformation
  • 2 Dec 2024
  • 3 days
  • 3,600
MSc Marketing Management
MSc Marketing Management
  • 12 months
    • €2,530 (EEA)*|
    • €22,500 (Non-EEA)
    • *see details on page
Finance for Senior Managers
Finance for Senior Managers
  • 27 Nov 2024
  • 3 days
  • 3,800
MSc Supply Chain Management
MSc Supply Chain Management
  • 12 months
    • €2,530 (EEA)*|
    • €22,500 (Non-EEA)
    • *see details on page
Leading with Decision-Driven Analytics
Leading with Decision-Driven Analytics
  • 1 Apr 2025
  • 3 days
  • 3,500
MSc International Management / CEMS
MSc International Management / CEMS
  • 18 months
    • €2,530 (EEA)*|
    • €22,500 (Non-EEA)
    • *see details on page
Storytelling for Business Success
Storytelling for Business Success
  • 2 Dec 2024
  • 13 March 2025
  • 2,600
Project Management in Practice
Project Management in Practice
  • 16 Dec 2024
  • 3 days
  • 3,300
Your contact for more information:
Danielle Baan

Science Communication and Media Officer

Portrait of Erika Harriford-McLaren
Erika Harriford-McLaren

Corporate Communications & PR Manager

Erasmus University campus in autumn, showcasing its iconic red trees, viewed from across the campus pool.