Empowering ADB-Hosted Communities of Practice

Communities of practice are groups of people who share a passion for something they know how to do and who interact regularly to learn how to do it better. Officially introduced in 2002 after a bank-wide reorganization, ADB-hosted CoPs were empowered under the Action Plan for Knowledge Management, 2009–2011. Interventions ranging from budget increases to integration in ADB operations have helped affirm CoPs as the heart and soul of knowledge generation and sharing in ADB.
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Communities of Practice 101

The potential for communities of practice in an organization is enormous. But their success hinges on a wide range of factors—from readiness to structure, champions to members. Find out the basic ingredients needed in setting up productive and sustainable communities of practice.

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ADB-Hosted Communities of Practice: Driving Knowledge Activities

To excel in their domains and live up to their potential as prime tool of organizational development, ADB’s communities of practice regularly perform the five core knowledge activities—identify, create, store, share, and use knowledge. How much progress have they achieved to date?

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Emergency Flood Damage Rehabilitation in Bangladesh

In terms of geographic extent and economic damage, the floods of mid-2004 were the worst ever experienced by Bangladesh. How did ADB's immediate assistance, which came with simplified administrative processes, fare in terms of rehabilitating the damage?

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Rising from the Rubble: Reconstruction and Rehabilitation after the 2001 Gujarat Earthquake

In 2001, Gujarat, India experienced its worst earthquake in the last half century. Three years later, the rubbles had been cleared and new roads, houses, buildings, and water and power lines were in place. What propelled Gujarat's successful reconstruction and recovery?

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Carbon Credits: Improving Financing and Sustainability of a Landfill Closure Project

In 2 years, the Indian city of Mumbai transformed its great eyesore—a 19.6 hectare landfill filled with 80-foot high waste—into a vast expanse of greenery with considerable revenue-generating potential. How did carbon credit financing catalyze this transformation?

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Expanding Water Supply and Sanitation Coverage through Output-Based Aid

The Asian Development Bank is set to undertake its first output-based aid (OBA) initiative. Will it prove to be the right modality for Nepal's small towns and their water supply and sanitation concerns?

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