125th Anniversary Review: The importance of learning

摘要

Learning has been at the heart of mankind's advances from 'hunter gatherer' to 'organized' and continues to be at the core of the development of our civilization. Learning takes many forms - we can learn by observation and by demonstration and we can learn from outcomes and from deliberate experimentation. Acquired knowledge is preserved and new knowledge added 'to the bank' through the written word and through the wisdom of individuals. Knowledge underpins how and why we do things and forms the basis of developing new ideas. If knowledge is not shared and then acquired by individuals, then those individuals will be at a competitive disadvantage to their peers. Organizations that develop and nurture their knowledge pool will demonstrate superior performance and engender a more innovative and dynamic working environment.