Autor(es):
Costa, Gonçalo Jorge Morais da 
Data: 2008
Identificador Persistente: http://hdl.handle.net/11144/359
Origem: Camões - Repositório Institucional da Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa
Assunto(s): communities of practice; Knowledge
Descrição
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.
