Knowledge Management and Learning

This section highlights the rationale behind ADB's initiatives on knowledge management and learning, strategies and plan of action adopted to pursue its knowledge agenda, and the challenges ADB needs to overcome to succeed.

Knowledge is what you learn from experience-before, during, and after the event. You get it when you organize and apply reason to the data gathered during the experience: the why, what, who, when, where, and how.

In the hands of the right people and applied at the right time, knowledge can stimulate action and propel development.

For instance, an organization that learns from its successes and failures can do things better and get that much closer to reaching its goals. A country that promotes scientific studies has greater chances of achieving technological breakthroughs that lead to innovations, performance improvements, efficiencies in resource use, and more.

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As with any other organization, ADB has its challenges when it comes to managing knowledge, promotion learning, and embracing change. In 2009, a series of staff interviews, workshops, and desk review on knowledge management revealed 10 of the most prominent challenges to learning ADB faces.

To pursue its vision of becoming a learning institution and a primary source of development knowledge in Asia and the Pacific, ADB is now working to address these challenges, which range from overcoming organizational "silos" to creating incentives for staff involvement in knowledge management to responding to donors' agenda.

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ADB's knowledge management and learning initiative is anchored on the following key components:

• Improved organizational culture for knowledge sharing
• Improved management system
• Improved business processes and information technology solutions for knowledge capture, enrichment, storage, and retrieval
• Well functioning communities of practice
• Expanded knowledge sharing through external relations and networking

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In the next few years, ADB will deliver knowledge solutions and services from 4 strategic thrusts:

• Sharpen the knowledge focus in operations
• Empower communities of practice
• Strengthen external knowledge partnerships
• Further enhance staff learning and skills development

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Since 2005, ADB has conducted annual surveys to gauge staff perceptions on knowledge management and assess ADB's progress against 8 MAKE (most admired knowledge enterprises) performance dimensions.

The 4th electronic survey was conducted in October-November 2008. Survey findings suggest a decline across four of these dimensions, highlighting the need to review implementation and garner more support from staff.

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