Evaluating the Impact of Knowledge Sharing Initiatives in International Organizations: Case Studies

No one disputes that knowledge is the lifeblood of international organizations and especially specialized agencies of the United Nations (U.N.). However, there has been little consensus on the best methods to share knowledge, leverage the extensive international expertise and make it available to the constituents and partners of these organizations. What is their strategy for managing knowledge? Do they have one? What impact does it have? What is the role of senior management in championing knowledge sharing in these international organizations? These are the questions this paper addresses through the lenses of evaluations of current knowledge sharing practices in two institutions located in Geneva, Switzerland, both part of the United Nations system. A recent U.N Joint Inspection Unit report (Dumitriu. 2016) provides a comprehensive overview of knowledge management strategies and practices in the United Nations system and its specialized agencies. In order to take a closer look at what these entail and their impact, this paper highlights recent evaluations of knowledge sharing in two specialized agencies of the United Nations system: the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), as examples only. Although they have very different mandates, both institutions are recognized for their role as knowledge leaders in their specific areas of expertise: social and labour issues for the ILO and international copyright, patents and trademarks for WIPO. In the last few years, both have reviewed their knowledge sharing capacities: the ILO, the study carried out an audit of knowledge sharing; while WIPO conducted an evaluation. The methodology used to carry out these reviews covering the different objectives and approaches is described, as well as the outcomes and recommendations of the studies. The author of this paper was involved in undertaking these reviews. The paper will be of particular interest to individuals in not-for-profit organizations and government agencies. It discusses an approach to carrying out a review of knowledge sharing initiatives, focusing on a framework of four core areas.