"The worst of both worlds": The management reform of the World Health Organization

The governance and management of global health institutions, such as the Wo rld Health Organization (WHO), are under increasing critical scrutiny. This management case study explores the first year of transformation at the WHO under Director-General Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, focusing on the key stak eholders and the role of complexity in institutional change. This is a stor y about transition in a difficult, politically fraught, and management-reso urce-constrained environment. In the search for appropriate management para digms, organizations such as the WHO may believe that the answers lie in ha rsh reengineering and the search for high-profile "success stories." Ironic ally, global business has moved away from such approaches and is far more f ocused on collaboration, empowerment, and knowledge sharing.