“Never Stop Learning — Stay Relevant, Reinvent Yourself, and Thrive” by Bradley R. StaatsThere isn’t a day that goes by that the business media doesn’t write something about the growth of a knowledge-based economy. Staats embraces but expands on that view by emphasizing the acquisition component of knowledge — “learning.”There are four drivers of his […]
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“Never Stop Learning — Stay Relevant, Reinvent Yourself, and Thrive” by Bradley R. Staats
There isn't a day that goes by that the business media doesn't write something about the growth of a knowledge-based economy. Staats embraces but expands on that view by emphasizing the acquisition component of knowledge — “learning.”
There are four drivers of his “learning economy”: 1. The growth of “nonroutine cognitive labor” — Creating ongoing value depends upon think-and-do. Routine (i.e. same-old-same-old, rinse and repeat) won't create value; only continuous improvement does. If companies don't produce “new and improved,” they go out of business. The same applies to individuals' careers.
2. “Specialization” — Back in 1776, Adam Smith's “The Wealth of Nations” identified the division of labor as the way to improve individual productivity. When people specialize they know they must stay on the cutting edge to maintain their expertise in order to add value.
As a result, we become more inquisitive, and the learning cycle becomes self-sustaining.
3. “Globalization” — The internet has also created on-demand competition for jobs. It's easy for companies to contact and contract individuals to execute an assignment as it is for you to call Uber or Lyft for a ride.
Many people work in the “gig economy.” They move from job to job and learn what companies want in the way of skills and how those companies do business. As they collaborate with others on assignments, they expand their knowledge and network.
4. “Scalability” — The internet has made it easy to advertise individual services and reach a large audience. What has been learned can also be readily shared.
