Treating COVID-19 at the state level and horizontal learning: building continuous training and knowledge management

Abstract

COVID-19 released unforeseen challenges to the public sector, forcing institutional organization criteria to be flexible, develop nonexistent competencies, along with continuous training means, transversal innovation and an adequate management of knowledge to achieve a systemic impact. We require arbitrated cultural devices that activate transversal collaboration, integration mechanisms and continuous training that focuses on a networked government organization. In this paper, I analyze devices that resemble communities of practice (CoPs) and network; informal mechanisms that –if properly managed– allow permanent cross-training among peers, complement knowledge creation, organizational and knowledge integration, as well as the advancement of explanations regarding what to do and what would be the most appropriate instruments to achieve. These devices should validate their own merit. I embark from a conceptual perspective and in regards to their use to face crisis scenarios. The pandemic and post-pandemic setting require horizontal and integrative procedures that allow presenting proper solutions. The important feat is to take advantage of the full potential generated by connected knowledge. Keywords: communities of practice, networks, knowledge management, cross-cutting teams, integrated know-ledge base