There is less to fear from outside competition than from in-house shortcomings in strategy development, management techniques, collaboration

mechanisms, knowledge sharing and learning, and knowledge capture and storage.
Today, knowledge is a necessary and sustainable source of competitive advantage. Yet, many organizations are still not good at managing its explicit or tacit forms. The ability of ADB and its staff to learn is a precondition to the success of Strategy 2020. Engaging all staff in this endeavor is crucial to generating and sharing knowledge. Staff need to update their technical and professional skills and must also acquire and master tools, methods, and approaches for knowledge management and learning. The Learning for Change Primers are designed to raise in-house awareness of and capacity in Leveraging Knowledge with ICT, Communities of Practice: Passing the Fitness Test, Understanding Knowledge Management and Learning Essentials, Managing Knowledge at Work, Building a Learning Organization, and Designing Knowledge Partnerships Better.

About the Knowledge Management Center The Knowledge Management Center facilitates knowledge management activities in ADB. It plays a critical role in introducing new knowledge management approaches, monitoring the progress of knowledge management, and reporting to ADB Management.

About the Asian Development Bank ADBs vision is an Asia and Pacific region free of poverty. Its mission is to help its developing member countries substantially reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of their people. Despite the regions many successes, it remains home to two-thirds of the worlds poor: 1.8 billion people who live on less than $2 a day, with 903 million struggling on less than $1.25 a day. ADB is committed to reducing poverty through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Based in Manila, ADB is owned by 67 members, including 48 from the region. Its main instruments for helping its developing member countries are policy dialogue, loans, equity investments, guarantees, grants, and technical assistance.

Learning for Change Primers

For more information, contact Knowledge Management Center Regional and Sustainable Development Department Asian Development Bank 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City 1550 Metro Manila, Philippines Tel +63 2 632 6362 Fax +63 2 636 2192 knowledge@adb.org www.adb.org/knowledge-management/
Publication Stock No. TIM101327 January 2010

Leveraging Knowledge with ICT

Information and communication technologies are tools that enhance core activities to identify, create, store, share, and use knowledge. Information and communication technology (ICT) has a role in enabling us to manage knowledge eciently and effectively, and thereby work faster and smarter. Discover how to use ICT to manage knowledge at work in this primer on ICT and knowledge management, the importance of taxonomy, ICT that strengthens collaboration, advances knowledge sharing and learning, and improves knowledge capture and storage, and working with ADBs ICT.

Understanding Knowledge Management and Learning Essentials

People gain knowledge if they learn from experience. Learning is thus a vital component of knowledge management and its ultimate end. Collective learning comes from participating in the social processes of collaboration, sharing knowledge, and building on one anothers ideas. Find out more about the link between knowledge management and learning in this primer on core knowledge activities, the knowledge management architecture, knowledge management cycle, learning progression and results-driven management, and knowledge management and learning in ADB.

Building a Learning Organization

A learning organization is a collective undertaking, rooted in action, that continually builds and improves its own practice. Organization, people, knowledge, and technology drive learning. These subsystems must work in harmony to achieve better and faster learning, and increase an organizations relevance. Grasp the concepts of the learning organization in this primer on learning and organization, learning organizations and organizational learning, ways to build a learning organization, and ADB as a learning organization.

Designing Knowledge Partnerships Better

Knowledge partnerships are formal and informal agreements between and among organizations that work together to achieve common goals. They increase access to knowledge, experiences, resources, and connections; foster creativity and innovation; help respond effectively to complex realities; and scale up impacts. Understand how to design knowledge partnerships better in this primer on the value and fundamentals of knowledge partnerships, the design and management of knowledge partnerships, success criteria, learning in knowledge partnerships, and ADBs knowledge partnerships.

Communities of Practice: Passing the Fitness Test

Communities of practice are groups of people who interact regularly to share knowledge, develop expertise, and solve problems in a specific domain. They are peer-to-peer collaborative networks that benefit individuals, teams, and their host organization. Appreciate the value of communities of practice in this primer on the essentials of communities of practice, the value and benefits of communities of practice, setting up a community of practice, ADBs communities of practice, and indicators of success.

Managing Knowledge at Work

ADBs knowledge originates from lending and nonlending operations, research, and business and corporate processes that aggregate in turn to form sector and thematic knowledge. Knowledge management tools, methods, and approaches improve work performance and enhance organizational productivity. Learn how to manage knowledge at work in this primer on the types of knowledge gained by ADB personnel, the pillars of knowledge management, the areas of competence for knowledge management and learning, and knowledge management tools.