Communities of practice: Linking knowledge, policy and practice

From theother66 on Flickr - thanks Allison!Communities of practice: Linking knowledge, policy and practice – is a paper that Simon Hearn from the Overseas Development Institute and I have been puttering on for quite some months. Now it emerges from the editing process at last. (Funny how so many writing projects in my life take so long. Maybe that’s why I like blogging!

The knowledge gained by research is often trapped at the point of origin, caught in the language of research, or simply isolated from those who actually apply that knowledge – the practitioners in the field. Likewise, tacit knowledge from the field rarely reaches the researchers or those making decisions. More effective bridges between knowledge, policy and practice are needed, with communities of practice (CoPs) well positioned to do just that.

This paper describes the basic characteristics of CoPs and provides a rationale for their growing importance in international development. It also suggests some ways in which CoPs can be supported by development agencies, research institutes and donors to strengthen the linkages between knowledge, policy and practice.

Published by ODI.

Communities of Practice: linking knowledge, policy and practice PDF

Photo Credit:

cc on Flickr, Uploaded on February 10, 2009
by theother66