ADB-Hosted Communities of Practice: Driving Knowledge Activities

Communities of Practice (CoPs) were first introduced at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 2002 after a bank-wide reorganization, and through the years they have grown swiftly as centers of expertise.

CoPs empower people in their work—the simple acts of joining and being regularly involved in such organized groups have significantly impacted individual well-being among ADB personnel. In fact, many CoPs have published and produced documentaries to showcase initiatives, programs, and activities.

To excel in their domains and live up to their potential as a prime tool of organizational development, ADB’s CoPs regularly perform the five core knowledge activities—identify, create, store, share, and use knowledge.

To enable CoPs to attain their optimum performance, ADB had, since 2009, conducted biennial surveys in eight areas of inquiry: the extent of participation in CoPs, insights into the clarity of domains, perceptions into the value-added by CoPs, critical success factors, insights into varying possible functions of CoPs, dimensions of participation in CoPs, perceptions of ADB’s approach to CoPs, and recommendations to strengthen CoP effectiveness.

The results of the 2011 Survey of ADB-Hosted Communities of Practice suggest that ADB is reaping the benefits of investments over the last 2 years. With greater cross-fertilization among CoPs, the value that this prime tool of organizational development brings to ADB’s core business can only increase.