The Matrix System at Work - Independent Evaluation Group - World ...

MANAGEMENT RESPONSE
interest and ownership over time (recognizing that the differences in fact are not actually that
black and white). Those challenges predate the matrix and, in fact, the inherent tensions of the
matrix have led to a better approach to these challenges.
The re-balancing of the Bank’s development work since 1997 has given greater
prominence to agendas defined by the Bank’s borrowers (the primary clients of our
development cooperative). The Bank has aligned much of its work with this changed world
and has helped bring developing country concerns more directly into the mainstream of global
discussions.
However, at the operational level, management agrees that there is room for improvement in the
interaction of sector, country, and project teams in the performance of quality assurance and
support functions (discussed in more detail below). These improvements will be sought in a
variety of ways, which will be reflected in the definition of network accountabilities and their
monitoring, as well as in the strengthening of quality assurance processes at the project level.
The key accountabilities of sector management and country management for critical control
points in the processing of investment lending and other products have been clear, although
hampered by issues of span of control of the sector managers. Management has now addressed
this issue, with the implementation across all Regions of the decision to limit the span of control
of sector managers to no more that 35 staff. Management will assess as part of its work on
corporate quality assurance whether further reconsideration of accountabilities—for example
assigning a more direct accountability to sector directors at specific points of operations—might
be needed.
Management agrees that it is a good time to take stock of the Bank’s experience with
sector strategy papers. That said, there have been a number of changes made in recent
years to the process and content of sector strategies and it would have been useful for
IEG to have reported on and analyzed this modernization work. Management will
undertake a review of sector strategies and develop a proposal for their future, including further
content and process changes. The IEG suggestion to examine the “state of the sector” and
capture emerging good practices and operational experiences will be considered in that context.
Knowledge
As acknowledged in the IEG review, management agrees that appropriate incentives to
improve internal knowledge flows require changes to management practices, business
priorities, and resource allocation. The Bank is working on such changes in incentives as part
of the implementation of the first Knowledge Report and the Knowledge Strategy. The main
reform is system changes to economic and sector work (ESW) and technical assistance (TA) to
enable the capture of lessons learned across the Bank. In addition, building on existing
databases (for example Knowledge Notes and the Development Impact Evaluation initiative
database), the Bank is currently developing a database of lessons learned in operations.
Management has formed a working group to map existing knowledge organizational structures
that will inform the implementation of this work. Management has also decided to implement a
10-point program for strengthening Sector Boards and global practices that focuses on ways to
improve the sharing of and access to knowledge. A sector practice survey of all sector-mapped
staff is being used to prioritize the key areas of change.
Management views decentralization as critical for the Knowledge Strategy. The IEG
report does not provide convincing evidence that decentralization has impeded flows of
knowledge. In fact, decentralization ensures that knowledge work is closely aligned with client
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