VCOPS SUPPORTING INNOVATION PROCESSES: A CASE STUDY IN A BRAZILIAN ORGANIZATION OF THE PUBLIC SECTOR

Some studies claim that Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoPs) facilitate innovation processes inorganizations, as innovation derives from the recombination of existing knowledge or from thecreation of new knowledge. This study aims to understand how VCoPs can support innovationprocesses by investigating this phenomenon in a large organization of the public sector in Brazil. Aqualitative approach was chosen to conduct the research in three innovation processes which happenedwith the support of VCoPs. Data were collected in semi-structured interviews with members of thesurveyed VCoPs. The data thereafter were analyzed applying content analysis and data codingtechniques were employed in order to determine emergent characteristics of VCoPs that supportinnovation processes. They have specificities related to the structural configuration of the VCoPs, thedomain, the working dynamics, and the characteristics of members. Indications were also encounteredthat can be used to overcome innovation barriers. As final conclusion it was found that VCoPs forinnovation entail an anthropocentric approach. The research presents a case study of a contextdependent subject, and the results cannot be generalized. However, the study can help inunderstanding the qualitative aspects of how VCoPs influence innovation processes in a Brazilianpublic sector organization, and it opens opportunities for future research employing quantitativemethods.