Comunidades de práctica en ocho organismos operadores de agua: estrategias de gestión para la calidad del agua en México

Abstract

Efficient water management is a top priority in Mexico, exacerbated by climate change, population growth, and resource scarcity. This study documents the creation and implementation of a community of practice (CoP) among eight drinking water utilities (OOAPAS), a technical team, and an educational team, with the aim of improving water quality and strengthening their management capacities. Through eleven sessions held between April 2023 and May 2024, the initiative promoted collaborative learning, the exchange of best practices, and the evaluation of technical, administrative, and communication processes. The study is based on a qualitative approach and is structured as a case study. The CoP was conceived as a horizontal space for dialogue among traditionally isolated actors, organized under the triple helix model (government, academia, and the private sector). The methodology combined interviews, observations, and in-person and virtual sessions. The research team actively participated as a facilitator of the process. The results show that the CdP is an effective strategy for sparking social innovation, strengthening the organizational identity of the OOAPAS, and generating shared knowledge to foster more efficient, equitable, and sustainable water management, with a direct impact on collective well-being.

Keywords

water

water quality

education

Mexico

public services

References

Barragán Giraldo, D. F. (2015). Las Comunidades de Práctica (cp): hacia una reconfiguración hermenéutica. Franciscanum, 57(163),155-76. https://doi.org/10.21500/01201468.699

Burgos Véliz, A., Estay Sepúlveda, J. G., Bravo Villa, N., Mansilla Sepúlveda, J, Barrientos-Báez, A., Moreno Leiva, G. M. y Monteverde Sánchez, A. M. (2021). Percepción del cuidado del agua de estudiantes secundarios chilenos. La construcción de un Nuevo Mundo está en la Juventud. Fronteiras, 10(2), 247–260. https://doi.org/10.21664/2238-8869.2021v10i2.p247-260

Cebreiro López, B. y Fernández Morante, M. (2004) "Estudio de casos", en F. Salvador Mata, J. L. Rodríguez Diéguez y A. Bolívar Botia, Diccionario enciclopédico de didáctica. Málaga, Aljibe.

Chetty, S. (1996). The case study method for research in small- and médium - sized firms. International Small Business Journal, 15(1).

Cosgrove, W. J., y Loucks, D. P. (2015). Water management: Current and future challenges and research directions. Water Resources Research, 51(6), 4823–4839. https://doi.org/10.1002/2014WR016869

Creswell, J., y Poth, C. (2025). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design. Choosing Among Five Approaches (5a ed.). SAGE Publications. https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/qualitative-inquiry-and-research-design/book266033

Cui, M., Ferreira, F., Fung, T.K., y Matos, J.S. Tale of Two Cities: How Nature-Based Solutions Help Create Adaptive and Resilient Urban Water Management
Practices in Singapore and Lisbon (2021). Sustainability, 13(18). https://doi.org/10.3390/su131810427

Flores Félix, J. F. (2020). Diagnóstico sobre el papel de los organismos operadores como generadores y usuarios de información sobre agua (manuscrito no publicado). Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales, Ciudad de México. https://ciesas.edu.mx/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/DiagnosticoConstruccio%CC%81nSistema-Integral_Flores-Felix-J-Francisco-.pdf

Huerta-Estévez, A., López-Morales, J. S., y Mora-Brito, Á. H. (2024). Incidencia de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible en planeación y rendición de cuentas de gobiernos estatales mexicanos. Revista de Ciencias Sociales, 30(2), 96–112. https://doi.org/10.31876/rcs.v30i2.41893

Ivanova, I. A., y Leydesdorff, L. (2014). Rotational Symmetry and the Transformation of Innovation Systems in a Triple Helix of University-Industry-Government Relations. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 86, 143-156. https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/tefoso/v86y2014icp143-156.html

Lave, J. y Wenger, E. (1991). Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation. Cambridge University Press.

López-Jiménez, D.F., y Vergara, P. (2017). El enfoque heurístico aplicado a la resolución de problemas en la empresa: Entre el método y la estrategia. Razón y Palabra, (98). https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=6334774

Giraldo Marín, L., y Atehortúa Correa, L. (2010). Comunidades de práctica, una estrategia para la democratización del conocimiento en las organizaciones, una reflexión. Revista de Ingenierías: Universidad de Medellín, 9(16), 141-150. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=3293813

Martins, G., Brito, A. G., Nogueira, R., Ureña, M., Fernández, D., Luque, F. J., y Alcácer, C. (2013). Water resources management in southern Europe: Clues for a research and innovation based regional hypercluster. Journal of Environmental Management, 119, 76–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2013.01.027

Mendoza-Gómez, M., Tagle-Zamora, D., Caldera-Ortega, A. R., Mora-Rodríguez, J., Carreño-Aguilera, G., y Delgado-Galván, X. (2024). Water supply management indicators for urban areas to assess its sustainability | Indicadores de la gestión del suministro de agua en zonas urbanas para evaluar su sostenibilidad. Tecnología y Ciencias del Agua, 15(5), 192–240. https://doi.org/10.24850/j-tyca-2024-05-04

Navarro, R., y Briseño, H. (2024). Determinantes de la autosuficiencia financiera de los organismos operadores de agua mexicanos. Tecnología y Ciencias del Agua, 15(1), 156–188. https://doi.org/10.24850/j-tyca-15-01-04

Organización de las Naciones Unidas [ONU]. (2021). Informe de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible, 2021. https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3932350?v=pdf

Ortega Ramírez, G. G. (2019). Capacidades institucionales y desempeño de los organismos operadores de agua, casos de Hermosillo y ciudad Obregón, Sonora (2009-2015) [Trabajo de maestría, El Colegio de Sonora]. Biblioteca Gerardo Cornejo Murrieta. https://biblioteca.colson.edu.mx/e-docs/RED/RED001151.pdf

Pozo-Muñoz, M. P., Martín-Gámez, C., Velasco-Martínez, L. C., y Tójar-Hurtado, J. C. (2023). Research and Development of Environmental Awareness about Water in Primary Education Students through Their Drawings. Education Sciences, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13020119

Tzanakakis, V.A., Paranychianakis, N.V., y Angelakis, A.N. (2020). Water Supply and Water Scarcity. Water, 12(9), 2347. https://doi.org/10.3390/w12092347

Vallejo Cabrera, F. A., Salazar Villarreal, M. C., Giraldo Díaz, R., Nieto Gómez, L. E., y Ramírez, L. V. (2021). Cuidado del agua en Zona de Reserva Campesina - ZRC del corregimiento San Isidro, Pradera, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. Idesia, 39(1), 37–44. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-34292021000100037

Valujeva, K., Pilecka, J., Grinberga, L., Grinfelde, I., y Burlakovs, J. (2019). Environmental management of Remediative and revitalization initiatives in Baltic sea region. International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference Surveying Geology and Mining Ecology Management, SGEM, 19(5.1), 253–259. https://www.sgem.org/index.php/component/jresearch/?view=publication&task=show&id=5982

Van Vliet, M. T. H., Jones, E., Flörke, M., Franssen, W., Hanasaki, N., Wada, Y., y Yearsley, J. (2021). Global water scarcity including surface water quality and expansions of clean water technologies. Environmental Research Letters, 16.

Vásquez Bronfman, S. (2011). Comunidades de práctica. Educar, 47(1), 51-68. https://educar.uab.cat/article/view/v47-n1-vasquez/0

Wenger, E., McDermott, R., Snyder, W. (2002). Cultivating Communities of Practice: A Guide to Managing Knowledge. Harvard Business School Press.

Wenger, E. (2001). Comunidades de práctica: Aprendizaje, significado e identidad (L. Fernández, Trad.). Paidós.

Yin, R.K. (1994). Case Study Research: Design and Methods, Applied Social Research Methods (Vol. 5, 2nd ed.). Sage.

Citations

Citations in Crossref

Citations in Scopus

Google Sholar Citation

Citations in Europe PMC