This contribution delves into the conditions, impact, and sustainability of Communities of Practice (CoPs) within the public administration. It analyzes three long-standing experiences and considers two others to validate the results obtained, based on existing documentation, a questionnaire, and interviews with those responsible for these communities.
The results confirm the conditions and effects identified in the literature, but expand upon them by also highlighting the importance of the organizational dimension, effective implementation, strategic alignment, and conscious management of the CoP’s life cycle. They also reveal shortcomings in systematic evaluation, the lack of consistent commitment from management, and participation that is not always voluntary, often being influenced by the organizational structure itself.