The Organisation and Preparation of the National Profile      
                               
                    

4.3.0    Apart from the inherent complexity of the task facing the National Profile Team, it is possible that a number of other difficulties may be encountered as the work of researching and compiling the document gets underway. The extent and seriousness of these frustrations will of course vary from country to country and from institution to institution, and the purpose of making reference to these matters at all in this Guidance Document is simply to acknowledge the existence of these constraints, and to point up once again the importance of securing the complete commitment (at the very outset of the process) of the senior most figures in the government and administrative systems.

Some of the likely problems that could be encountered are as follows :

4.3.1    Organisational Inertia and Apathy - it is possible that not every manager in every organisation will share the vision and enthusiasm of those working directly on the compilation of the National Profile. In such cases access to information may be frustrated not though any wilful obstruction but rather through indifference and inertia. Such factors can only be overcome through the persistence and diligence of the research team, and ultimately - if necessary - through the influence and leverage of the National Co-ordinator.

4.3.2    Deliberate Obstruction and Concealment - in some cases it may emerge that individual managers could be fearful of revealing or even talking about badly supervised or shabby procedures. Researchers may be deliberately misled in order to prevent them reporting accurately on the practices implemented and calling attention thereby to the impoverished level of organisational stewardship. It is important in this context however that research staff should understand that their job is to assemble factual information. They are not auditors and they should not seek to portray themselves as such. Even so, certain individuals may remain reluctant to co-operate with the National Profile process, and in circumstances such as this it is important that all staff working on the project should be sufficiently expert in their subject area to avoid being fobbed off with inaccurate or improbable descriptions of routine practice. Ideally the senior member of the National Profile Team leading a particular working group will also possess sufficient experience and knowledge to recognise deliberately misleading information if it is received.

4.3.3   Incomplete Information or the Absence of Process - it may be the case that on occasion, organisational records are incomplete or badly maintained. In even more extreme cases there may be no defined process established at all to deal with certain matters. These instances can be reported by the National Profile Team as evidence of "information gaps" in the system, and this discovery of itself will illustrate the importance of the National Profile process. However the discovery of extensive or pervasive information gaps could result in an unduly abbreviated National Profile and could limit its usefulness as a working document. Equally an institutional unwillingness to share information, or attempts to limit access to information, should, in themselves, be interpreted as important indicators of potential areas of concern.

4.3.4   Unwillingness to Co-operate / Organisational Rivalry - some managers may be reluctant to co-operate with a process which is taking time and information from them and offering nothing in return. Frequently in organisational life senior people can become accustomed to regarding information as power, and consequently they are reluctant to release any information (unless forced to do so) for fear of conceding some supposed advantage to a perceived rival. Once again the reputation, integrity, and influence of the National Co-ordinator will be important qualities in resolving such situations.