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Case Study

WWF: To be truly local and truly global

By John R. Weeks and Colleen Lief

9 pages

July 2008

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Reference: IMD-3-2006

Founded in 1961 in response to concern over the environmental impact of life on earth, WWF had been a major player in the conservation movement in the years since. The organization wove together a network of offices in both funding nations and in countries where the bulk of conservation work was done. The organization had, at first, operated as a marketplace of ideas, programs and financial support. A worthy conservation project would be conceived in one nation and marketed to those offices with the wherewithal to fund it. Projects with the most compelling proposals gained funding. This system resulted both in organizational efficiencies and inefficiencies. By 2006, it had become clear that the organization was “winning the battle but losing the war.” Despite their significant achievements and best efforts, the state of the world was deteriorating. WWF needed to more effectively organize, focus on a few global priorities and coalesce robustly around them. The fate of the world was at stake. Failure was not an option.

Learning Objective

Managing centralization and decentralization, Maintaining local and global relevance, Transmitting urgency of mission, Focusing priorities, Capitalizing on organizational strengths, Setting stretch goals.

Keywords

Change, Corporate Culture, Consensus-building, Goal Setting, Conservation, Non-Governmental Organization

Settings

World/global, Switzerland
1961-2008

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English

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