Equipes e Comunidades de Prática como Estruturas Complementares na Gestão do Conhecimento Organizacional

Abstract

Motivated by the complexities of modern work’s environment, organizations are investing in a new organizational model, based in teams. Teams, however, have some limitations, including the difficulty to share and manage knowledge: while efforts are applied in the pursuit of results or an end product, teams isolate in internal processes and have difficulty sharing knowledge. Communities of practice, on the other hand, are created around the necessity to share knowledge in areas of common interest. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the possible advantages of the combined use of teams and communities of practice, with the purpose of improving knowledge management and, therefore, the effectiveness of teams and companies. Combining teams and communities of practice can stimulate learning and knowledge management, while maintaining the value placed on results – while teams add value through results and achieved goals, communities of practice complement this value through the facilitation of learning.