Communities of Practice as a Professional and Organizational Development Strategy in Local Public Health Organizations in Quebec, Canada: An Evaluation Model

Abstract

Communities of practice (CoPs) are among the professional development strategies most widely used in such fields as management and education. Though the approach has elicited keen interest, knowledge pertaining to its conceptual underpinnings is still limited, thus hindering proper assessment of CoPs' effects and the processes generating the latter. To address this shortcoming, this paper presents a conceptual model that was developed to evaluate an initiative based on a CoP strategy: Health Promotion Laboratories are a professional development intervention that was implemented in local public health organizations in Montreal (Quebec, Canada). The model is based on latest theories on work-group effectiveness and organizational learning and can be usefully adopted by evaluators who are increasingly called upon to illuminate decision-making about CoPs. Ultimately, validation of this conceptual model will help advance knowledge and practice pertaining to CoPs as well as professional and organizational development strategies in public health. RésuméLes communautés de pratique (CdP) figurent parmi les stratégies de développement professionnel les plus employées dans des domaines tels que la gestion et l' éducation. Bien que cette démarche ait suscité un grand intérêt, les connaissances au sujet de ses bases conceptuelles demeurent fragmentaires, faisant ainsi obstacle à une évaluation adéquate des effets des CdP et des processus qu' elles génèrent. Pour remédier à cette lacune, cet article présente un modèle conceptuel qui a été mis au point afin d' évaluer une initiative fondée sur une stratégie de CdP : les laboratoires de promotion de la santé. Il s' agit d'une intervention visant le développe-ment professionnel, qui a été mise en oeuvre dans des centres de santé et de services sociaux à Montréal (Québec, Canada). Le modèle tire profit des dernières théories sur l' efficacité des groupes de travail et sur l' apprentissage organisationnel. Ce modèle peut servir aux évalu-ateurs qui s'intéressent à la prise de décision éclairée dans le contexte des CdP. En bout de ligne, la validation de ce modèle conceptuel contribuera à l' avancement des connaissances et des pratiques propres aux CdP de même qu' aux stratégies de développement professionnel et organisationnel dans le milieu de la santé publique.

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