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Articles: Knowledge Management

How the World Bank launched a knowledge management program (page 4)
Author: Michel JL Pommier
Source: www.kwork.org

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Integrating knowledge sharing and learning

Like many other organizations in 1997, the Bank was still organizing its training activities independently from the operational work units. A training department located in Human Resources was responsible for curriculum development and delivery. Training was an individual process with clearly defined starting and end points. These training activities were mostly ineffective. Training was delivered asynchronously with professional skill building requirements. In addition, little cross-fertilization existed between various professional groups. The creation of the networks and the launch of the knowledge sharing program rapidly changed this situation.

Within each network, sector boards became responsible for mapping the skills of their staff and identifying knowledge gaps. Thematic groups started to offer regular study tours and informal learning clinics. As the communities organized, it became clear that professional training had to be completely reorganized. The training department was first absorbed by the World Bank Economic Development Institute (EDI) that had successfully trained Bank clients, mainly by using Bank experts as trainers. Later, the Institute, working in close collaboration with the networks, decided to transfer the training budget and the responsibility for course content development to the sector boards and their thematic groups, while retaining the function of facilitation and providing logistical support. Today, knowledge sharing and learning programs are supervised by the same governance body, the Knowledge and Learning Council.

Providing support to the Communities of Practice

Thematic groups are not intended to substitute for existing organizational units, but rather to facilitate knowledge sharing and learning across regions and themes. By their very nature, thematic groups did not fit neatly into the Bank's conventional organizational structures and budgetary processes. Thematic groups did not conform with top-down decision making. Their membership was largely voluntary and based on self selection from a few individuals to several hundreds of practitioners. Some had been defined around very narrow themes. Others were cutting across a wide range of topics and sectors. Only a few had the logistical and administrative mechanisms to deliver products or services in a consistent fashion. Given this extraordinary diversity, it is not surprising that specific arrangements had to be put in place to support their work and overcome early teething problems.

Other organizations had resolved the dilemmas of embryonic communities by injecting a cadre of "facilitators" or "coaches" or "concierges." Whatever the name adopted, the functions performed included assistance in the processes of knowledge production, codification, synthesis, distribution and diffusion. Thematic groups needed a minimum level of structure and accountability to become the central instrument of knowledge sharing in the Bank. Their numbers also needed to be contained to ensure critical mass and avoid the dilution of budgetary resources. A few network sector boards started to request a mission statement and work program to their thematic group leaders. An attempt was made to put in place a Directory of Expertise to identify in each sector family the expert profile of its members and their professional affiliation. However, more needed to be done to avoid "burning out" thematic group leaders who, in addition to their knowledge sharing and learning activities, continued to provide 70-80 percent of their expert services time to their client countries.

The managing director in charge of the knowledge sharing program called several meetings with the thematic group leaders between 1998 and 1999 to identify means of supporting them and areas of immediate actions.

  • In areas, where the Bank was not at the cutting edge, efforts were directed to building up knowledge partnerships with outside partners.
  • Repeat activities, such as data base entry, web site development, referral-type services and preparation of information packets were delegated to the help desks and sector knowledge coordinators who were recruited by the sector boards.
  • Knowledge coordinators were also asked to help thematic group leaders in researching and cataloguing knowledge materials, and organizing learning events either inside the Bank or in partnership with external professional groups.
  • Networks undertook to disseminate quickly to the rest of the Bank information about their thematic group activities.
  • The procedures for obtaining funding for thematic groups activities were streamlined. The alignment of thematic group activities with sector strategies and priorities was reviewed by each sector board.
  • A self-assessment tool was designed to encourage the candid feedback of members of the thematic groups.
  • Regular workshops of thematic group leaders were organized by the central knowledge sharing unit. This group encouraged the consolidation of overlapping thematic groups. It also created synergy and helped communication between thematic groups to help introduce good practices developed in other thematic groups.
  • A knowledge intern program was launched with graduate and under-graduate students to increase the research capacity of thematic groups.

Michel J.L. Pommier
Senior Advisor, Network Operations and Knowledge Sharing Program
The World Bank Group www.worldbank.org/knowledgebank/
Article used with permission