Learning and Results in World Bank Operations : Toward a New Learning Strategy, Evaluation 2

Independent Evaluation Group

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: SKILLS;    FOCUS GROUPS;    GOOD PRACTICE;    DISCUSSION;    COMMUNITIES;   

RP-ID  :  99152

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

This report is the second in a programof evaluations that the independent evaluation group (IEG)is conducting on the learning that takes place through WorldBank projects. Learning and knowledge are treated as partsof a whole and are presumed to be mutually reinforcing. Theevaluation program addresses the following overarchingquestions: how well has the World Bank learned in itslending operations?; and what is the scope for improving howit generates, accesses, and uses learning and knowledge inthese operations? Evaluation two includes findings fromseven country case studies and interviews with Bank staffabout their early experience of working within the Bank’snew global practices structure, which became operational onJuly 1, 2014. The aim is to assess the pre-FY2015 evidencein light of the new structure and roles, and to ask howlong-term trends are likely to be modified as reformsevolve. Surveys and interviews reveal that, when it comes tomanaging projects, Bank staff rely first and foremost on aprocess of informal learning, leading to a gradualaccumulation of tacit knowledge. Informal learning and tacitknowledge are built on the behaviors that flow from mindsetsand from the characteristics and operating rules of thegroups that individuals belong to. These behavioralunderpinnings are mediated by incentives that institutionslike the Bank provide to staff. The Bank has launchedseveral important learning initiatives, such as theoperational core curriculum. Chapter one presents approach.Chapter two mines the academic and management literature toexamine the behavioral underpinnings of informal learningand tacit knowledge. Chapter three examines how individualand team behavior is mediated by the incentives that theBank offers staff. Chapters four, five, and six examinethree operational orientations of particular relevance tothe new Bank: balancing of global and local focus,adaptiveness, and results focus. Chapter seven presents recommendations.