Communities of practices- the future or return to the past- A sceptical approach

Abstract

A dynamic and constant change, characteristics of the existent paradigm, imposes that organizations assume as an imperative the need to be adaptable and evolutionary, flexible in their operations, without losing their technological and human structure (Davenport and Prusak, 1998). In that sense, the need to capture, to apprehend, to develop ideas and know-how has been discussed thoroughly by academics and managers worldwide. With such scenario, the need for organizational innovations increases dramatically, being communities of practices one of the possible answers. Their purpose is then to complement the existing structures and to galvanize in a radical way the creation and share of knowledge, generating learning and change inside the organization. However, in spite of appearing as an answer to the organizational environment, the truth is that, through out mankind history the expression “communities of practices” can be apply; and that is an unquestionable reality. For that, it is enough to recall ourselves of the first men communities, the first sedentary communities, the great classic civilizations, the feudalism of the Medium Age, the renascent communities, the industrial communities (pos Industrial Revolution), and finally, the communities of practices. However, those communities present diverse analytical dimensions, concerning it’s: creation aim, leadership/hierarchical structures and knowledge sharing process.