The result is that some issues cannot receive thorough treatment, and the Bank is seen by some as sacrificing depth of understanding for breath of issues covered. Related to the issue of dispersion of effort is the concern about excessive compartmentalization within the institution. This management style also encourages the multiplication of administrative units as a way of demonstrating responsiveness to emerging issues. Combined with the institution of fixed-term contracts, and limited rotation of staff, silo management creates incentives for staff to identify with the needs and priorities of their own department, rather than with the Bank as a whole. In addition to the consequences for morale, this organizational model makes it difficult for the Bank to dynamically allocate resources across organizational units to pursue emerging institutional priorities.
Compartmentalization extends below administrative units as well.
Several recent studies of knowledge networking in the Bank found that technical staff tended to protect both their substantive knowledge and their personal networks of contacts. These were seen as personal assets , helpful to the individual in his or her advance through the institution, and there was a strong reluctance to share such information to create knowledge networks as an institutional asset . Through several channels, including the town meeting held in June, the Working Group gathered valuable insights regarding the state of mind of the Bank's staff. In a capsule, there are weaknesses of motivation and morale that need urgent addressing. It is believed that a motivated staff strongly committed to developmental objectives is a positive factor in the success of the institution.