Hints for Rethinking Communities of Practice in Public Administration: An Analysis from Real Practice

Abstract

Communities of Practice (CoP) have become one of the most widely used strategies for promoting Knowledge Creation and Management (KCM) processes in Public Administration. This chapter is based on some of the practical research and consultancy carried out by the Organisational Development Team from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (http://edo.uab.cat) over the last 10 years, presenting some ideas to facilitate the introduction of improvements in the usual functioning of CoP in the public administration. Specifically, the purpose of this chapter is twofold: (1) to analyse the procedures of KCM by means of CoP in the public administration and through the intensive use of technology; and (2) to suggest elements which may allow us to rethink and improve CoP. The main results indicate that the most important factors in determining CoP participation are related in greater measure to personal processes (interest in change, curiosity, commitment to innovation, profile within the CoP) than to circumstances (professional category, age or seniority).