Subject category:
Knowledge, Information and Communication Systems Management
Published by:
IBS Center for Management Research
Length: 11 pages
Data source: Published sources
Topics:
World Bank; Knowledge management; James Wolfensohn; Bretton Woods conference; International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD); Thematic groups; Global community; IBM (International Business Machines Corporation); Communities of practice; Knowledge sharing; Organisation structure; Organisational culture; International Finance Corporation; The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency; The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes
Abstract
By the early 2000s, the World Bank was one of the foremost knowledge organisations in the world. It made a commitment to promote knowledge sharing within the organisation in 1996, when it realised that the distance from its headquarters to operational regions had become a major obstacle in objective achievement. While the process of transformation into a 'knowledge bank' was not easy, the Bank accomplished it successfully and set up a system that extended around the world. The case describes the World Bank's journey from a lending institution to a knowledge leader. It examines the need for knowledge sharing at the World Bank and the obstacles it overcame in the process. It also describes how the World Bank created a global knowledge community using web-based tools, as well as the role and development of thematic groups. The importance of tailoring the organisation's structure and human resource policies to knowledge sharing is also examined. The case concludes with an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the knowledge sharing system at the World Bank.
Teaching and learning
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Abstract
By the early 2000s, the World Bank was one of the foremost knowledge organisations in the world. It made a commitment to promote knowledge sharing within the organisation in 1996, when it realised that the distance from its headquarters to operational regions had become a major obstacle in objective achievement. While the process of transformation into a 'knowledge bank' was not easy, the Bank accomplished it successfully and set up a system that extended around the world. The case describes the World Bank's journey from a lending institution to a knowledge leader. It examines the need for knowledge sharing at the World Bank and the obstacles it overcame in the process. It also describes how the World Bank created a global knowledge community using web-based tools, as well as the role and development of thematic groups. The importance of tailoring the organisation's structure and human resource policies to knowledge sharing is also examined. The case concludes with an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the knowledge sharing system at the World Bank.



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