Jim Kim is Shaking things up at the World Bank and the Impact it has on Global Health
When you think of the World Bank, the first thing that comes to mind might not be its president Jim Kim. For those who are working at the organization, he is one of their primary concerns. When Jim Kim first became president of the World Bank in 2012, he pledged to create “evidence-based, non-ideological solutions to development challenges.” He had the perfect resume to do it. Taking note of his work in both the non-profit, academic and health sectors, many individuals in the global health and development community had pretty high hopes for the new president.
Currently, it seems that the staff at the World Bank might be Jim Kim’s road block. Just 38 percent of survey participants said the World Bank Group’s senior management “clearly communicates” the institution’s “strategic priorities.” One-third indicated they have “a clear understanding of the direction in which [senior management] is leading [the World Bank Group]. Only 26 percent believe senior management “creates a culture of openness and trust.” And 34 percent are confident “the [World Bank Group] will take action on the engagement survey.” So what do you do when your staff isn’t behind the changes you’re making?
What RGH Can Do?
Realizing Global Health has been called in a few times to handle matters just like this one.Yes, the buck stops at Dr Kim, but every department at the bank has to have clear responsibility and accountability in the success of Dr Kim’s plans. Dr Kim can achieve this through personal goals and department goals set by those working within the various projects that bank is implementing to produce the desired result. In a case like this, that result is attaining a better return on investment when it comes to the money the World Bank grants or loans out to the nations in need.
Responsibility and accountability goals have to be broken down into weekly and monthly goals for each person to achieve so that goals are able to be measured to show where the organization needs to improve and what they are doing well. By measuring progress towards the Bank’s overall goals, we can then measure the impact of the money that the World Bank is distributing in an objective manner; to see if these programs are actually working; and to see which department is failing. If these goals aren’t met, then the bank will not be able to develop strategies and foster growth within departments and individuals to help them reach their full potential and make Dr Kim’s vision come true. It is that simple, though, not easy.
We wish Jim Kim and everyone at the World Bank the best of luck in achieving the goals they are striving for daily.
WWRGHD is a blog series from RGH where we look at events in the news and share our take on what could be done, or done differently, to improve universal coverage to healthcare in the United States and around the world.
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Photo Credit: This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
Attribution: MONUSCO/John Bompengo
