Co-Evolution of Organizations in Infrastructure Planning: The Role of Communities of Practice as Windows for Collective Learning Across Project-Oriented Organizations. Issue 7 (August 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: de Groot, Bert; Leendertse, Wim; Arts, Jos
• Other Names: Van Assche Kristof guest-editor.; Beunen Raoul guest-editor.; Verweij Stefan guest-editor.; Evans Joshua guest-editor.; Gruezmacher Monica guest-editor.
• Is Part Of: Administration & society. Volume 54:Issue 7(2022)
• Page Start: 1328
• Page End: 1356
• Publication Date: 2022-08
• Subjects: co-evolution -- collective learning -- community of practice -- adaptive capacity -- project-oriented organization -- infrastructure planning; Public administration -- Periodicals; 351
• DOI: 10.1177/00953997221100379
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0095-3997

Abstract

Challenges in infrastructure planning require public infrastructure administrators, responsible for providing adequate infrastructure facilities, to be adaptive. These organizations evolve and interact with other organizations in a complex organizational landscape. This paper explores the contribution of inter-organizational communities of practice (CoPs) to collective learning and co-evolution of organizations in infrastructure planning. We conducted a case study of five inter-organizational CoPs in the domain of a typical public infrastructure administrator. The results suggest that inter-organizational CoPs enable, for example, policy and practice to co-evolve. Inter-organizational CoPs seem to provide a neutral ground where long-term sector benefits can overcome short-term organizational interests.