The World Health Organization (WHO) is a global organization that aims to attain the highest level of health for all people. It has a governing body called the World Health Assembly and over 8,000 staff working across headquarters and regional offices. Since 1999, WHO has applied an organizational learning cycle of generating information, integrating new information, collectively interpreting information, and authorizing actions based on interpretations. This allows WHO to continuously improve its response to global health issues through knowledge sharing and management.

1. The World Health Organization as a Continuous Learning Organization April Hord Yovhane Metcalfe Amanda Parks Virginia Commonwealth University

2. Objectives Summarize organizational structure and recent history Compare organizational learning cycle during smallpox effort with that of today Examine WHO’s contemporary infrastructure Apply learning exercise

3. A global organization Our Health, Our Future © Copyright World Health Organization (WHO), 2009. All Rights Reserved.

4. Organizational learning ‘ the intentional use of learning processes at the individual, group and system level to continuously transform the organization in a direction that is increasingly satisfying to its stakeholders” (Dixon, 1999) © Copyright World Health Organization (WHO), 2009. All Rights Reserved

5. Global organization structure Constitution objective: The attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health Health – state of complete physical, mental and social well-being; not simply absence of disease or infirmity The World Health Assembly Governing body with delegate representatives from 193 member states meets annually each May in Geneva Work Force 8,000 health experts & support staff serve fixed-term appointments Staff spread across Headquarters + six regional offices + 193 countries

6. WHO since 1999

7. The WHO Learning Cycle 2009 © Copyright World Health Organization (WHO), 2009. All Rights Reserved

8. I. Widespread Generation of Information- Internal Documentation – After Action Reviews of projects, initiatives, efforts are catalogued and recorded Translucency - Regional offices integrate open reporting to be analyzed, shared & linked to resources used Daily Emergency Situation Report via the HAC website www.who.int/disasters

9. I. Widespread Generation of Information - External Regular multidisciplinary teleconferences for: research labs governmental organizations field offices WHO headquarters Global distribution and execution of 2006-2015 World Health Plan strategic plan August 2009 – H1N1 global monitoring and advising notices

10. Operations Strategic Operations Center © Copyright World Health Organization (WHO/PAHO), 2009. All Rights Reserved.

11. II. Integrate new & local information into organizational context 2009 H1N1 pandemic response October 2009 – assistance response to Western Pacific Region natural disasters HAC Program Global/regional ALERT distribution Blue Trunk program Proclaim as a Knowledge Management (KM) Strategy: Strengthen organizational capacity Advocate adoption of KM in the field of public health Improve capacity implementing KM at country level

12. III. Collectively interpret information Involve all WHO and local stakeholders: contingency building events external training programs/seminars Knowledge Management Strategy goal: to bridge the “know-do gap” in global health by fostering an environment that encourages the creation, sharing, and effective application of knowledge to improve health Identification of Effective Employee Behaviors: to ensure that knowledge and learning is shared across the organization and that staff learn from each other

13. IV. Authority to act on interpreted meaning Proclaim as a Knowledge Management Strategy: Translating knowledge into policy & action Six regional offices with separate governance structure to react to regional level issues Pan American Health Organization covers 35 countries www.paho.org 2002 PAHO implemented annual vaccination week HAC Program – Geneva enables regional offices to be self-sufficient providing all necessary resources communications equipment operational budget to be utilized at regional, sub-regional and/or country levels

14. Infrastructure for Organizational Learning Integrate Collectively Interpret Authorization to Act Publication of global Weekly Epidemiological Record Regular multidisciplinary teleconferences for labs, gov’t organizations, field offices and WHO HQ Knowledge Management Strategy emphasises “know-do” gap Differentiated approach towards the HIV/AIDS effort enable Different regions able to address local cultural differences in HIV/AIDS incidence Differentiated approach towards the HIV/AIDS effort enable regional accountability Management competency requirement to ensure effective use Global Competency Model for employment evaluations Widespread Generation of Information

15. Application & Debate Form in groups of three Review WHO’s five strategic direction printouts Prioritize in order of significance to WHO’s learning capacity Be prepared to justify ranking

16. Dixon, N. (1999) The Organization Learning Cycle: How We Can Learn Collectively. Hampshire, England: Gower Publishing Limited. World Health Organization. (n.d.) WHO Competency Model. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/employment/competencies/WHO_competencies_EN.pdf World Health Organization. (2003) Health Action in Crises. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/hac/about/en/11990.pdf World Health Organization. (2005) Knowledge Management Strategy, 1 . Retrieved from http://www.who.int/kms/about/strategy/kms_strategy.pdf World Health Organization. (2007) Working for health: an introduction to the World Health Organization. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/about/brochure_en.pdf. References