Praxis Note 16. Communities of Practice: Lessons from Latin America

Knowledge and organisational learning are already recognised themes in the private sector. The debate focuses on ‘intelligent organisations’, which learn from their internal and external environments. It identifies knowledge as a distinct part of an organisation’s resources, which can be managed and increased. This, in turn, has created the concept of ‘management of knowledge and learning’ through communities of practice. In recent years these ideas have started to become adopted and adapted by civil society organisations, including development agencies.

However, there are still many questions to be answered. What do we really mean by communities of practices? What are their main characteristics? When do they work most effectively? And how do we evaluate their results and impact? These questions and many others were discussed at a workshop held in Mexico City at the beginning of 2005.