@misc{37300,
title = {IDB Guide to Communities of Practice: Supporting CoPs as Dynamic Knowledge Networks that Help the IDB Learn Faster, Share Smarter, and Strengthen Development Impact},
author = {Barrio Sarmiento, Adela and Camera, Fernanda and Rodríguez, Lorena},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.18235/0013776},
abstract = {The IDB Guide to Communities of Practice (CoPs), prepared by the Knowledge and Learning Division (KLD) of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), positions CoPs as strategic knowledge networks that enable the Bank to learn faster, share smarter, and deliver greater development impact across Latin America and the Caribbean. Communities of Practice are reemerging as a critical mechanism for addressing the complexity of development challenges, fostering cross-sector collaboration and the exchange of tacit and operational knowledge across boundaries and decentralized offices. They connect specialists across sectors, countries, and institutions, transforming individual expertise into collective organizational capability, a cornerstone of the IDBs role as a Knowledge Bank. The guidance details how CoPs are structured and sustained through three core, interactive components: Domain (shared challenge), Community (network of trust), and Practice (collective know-how). It also outlines light-touch governance, key roles such as Leads and Multipliers, various membership models, and effective interaction formats. The guide emphasizes the use of digital tools to capture and disseminate knowledge. While developed for internal use, it also serves as a reference for peer institutions seeking to strengthen organizational learning, knowledge exchange, and policy influence through network-based approaches.},
url = {https://doi.org/10.18235/0013776}
}