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Annual Report 2004 : Part 1: Institutional Effectiveness

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Knowledge Management

ADB has accumulated extensive knowledge in its nearly 4 decades of development work in Asia and the Pacific and recognizes the importance of this institutional asset. The LTSF 2001–2015 spells out ADB's commitment to become a learning institution and a primary source of development knowledge in the region drawing upon resources, skills, and expertise both inside and outside the organization; learning quickly from its own experiences and those of its partners; and sharing knowledge with those partners, with DMCs, and with ADB staff to effectively solve development challenges. To realize this commitment, ADB adopted a knowledge management framework in June that specifies five goals to achieve in the next 4 years.

• The organizational culture of ADB will support knowledge sharing. Staff will be empowered and encouraged to fully participate in implementing the framework with assistance from the new HR strategy, training, and improved IT infrastructure and services.
• Knowledge products and services will be managed more effectively to ensure their quality and timely dissemination. ADB will take a more strategic approach to planning and delivering to DMCs its knowledge services and products that are generated from its own studies, through its lending operations, and through staff participation in conferences and seminars.
• Business processes and IT will be updated. Improved storage processes and systems will make data searches less cumbersome. Another initiative is mapping expertise within ADB through a skills and knowledge database of staff and enhanced consultant profiles. Tapping the knowledge of experienced colleagues will promote efficiency and add value to all ADB operations.
• ADB staff will actively share knowledge through communities of practice i.e., professional networks that act as think tanks and provide advice in sector or thematic areas. IT tools were introduced in November to support this knowledge exchange.
• Knowledge sharing with external stakeholders and other parties will be expanded. ADB will proactively strengthen partnerships with like-minded organizations and networks to exchange ideas, insights, and lessons learned.

A knowledge management center was established to implement the framework. ADB also joined the Most Admired Knowledge Enterprises (MAKE) network. Progress in implementing the framework will be closely monitored, assessed, and published in MAKE reports.

Asian Development Bank Institute

It is the Institute's policy to respond positively to requests for assistance and cooperation from stakeholders wherever possible. In considering requests, priority is given to work that fits into the four strategic themes of the Institute’s 3-year rolling work plan: poverty reduction, regional cooperation, private sector development, and governance. In addition, the Institute is working to strengthen its capacity to use information and communication technology (ICT) (such as Internet outreach, virtual meetings, CD-ROMs, and videolinked training) in support of ADB's overall approach to knowledge management. As part of a commitment to align its work with ADB's mission, ADB Institute actively looks for ways to cooperate in activities with both ADB headquarters and resident missions. Numerous joint activities and staff exchanges have been arranged, as well as mutual use of facilities for conferences and meetings.

Capacity building and training (CBT) activities expanded considerably during 2004. A total of 16 courses were conducted in the areas of poverty reduction, regional cooperation, private sector development, and governance. Six of these courses were directly related to ICT and “e-topics." Around 600 participants from DMCs were trained, a quarter of them women. Over 20 CD-ROMs (CD-Rs) were produced from the course materials, including 8 interactive or lecture CD-Rs and 15 covering proceedings. Country-specific CBT programs were initiated in the PRC, India, and Indonesia to meet the growing demand for tailor-made training programs in local languages. (Viet Nam and other transition countries will be served by the separate Japan Fund for Public Policy Training which is administered by a unit of ADB Institute. As part of an ongoing knowledge management activity, almost 20 reviews of development-oriented CD-Rs produced by various organizations (similar in nature to book reviews) were posted on the Institute's expanded website (www.adbi.org). ADB Institute appears to be the only institution in the world regularly reviewing developmental CD-Rs.

Research activities were concentrated around three of the priority areas. A major output in the poverty reduction theme was the completion of country studies on the effectiveness of poverty targeting measures in a number of DMCs. In governance, a series of country studies was completed that surveyed the current state of corporate governance. Evaluating these measures and identifying current challenges are essential for the further improvement of corporate performance where the private sector is becoming increasingly important for development. Eight other in-house research studies were formally published, as well as an important survey of postconflict reconstruction of Afghanistan’s economy. In addition to its own research program, ADB Institute supports visiting researchers (mainly from the region) who work on one of the strategic themes. Five visiting researchers were received at the Institute in 2004.

The Institute is also the implementing agency for the ADB and Inter-American Development Bank agreement on the Latin America/Caribbean and Asia/Pacific Economics and Business Association. As part of this collaborative research initiative, two conferences were organized in Manila and Beijing. New ideas in knowledge management are being piloted including easy-to-read research summaries and a daily e-letter of news and analysis, which includes a roundup of development blogs from civil society.

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