Training and Development: The Evolution
Training and Development: The Evolution
Abstract
Modern training and development has evolved from a pre-historic need to pass along knowledge, into a high tech and fast paced world of information and technology. From the days of our Neolithic ancestors teaching their children to fashion primitive weapons, to physicians practicing surgery in simulated environments, training has satisfied an imperative obligation to pass along information to the next generation for the greater good of the species. This evolution is an adaptation to the changing world around us, and it is crucial to our survival. Of course, the trials and tribulation of modern man are less life and death, but this primitive need is still present in the entrepreneurial world of today. Equally prevalent is our never ending quest for knowledge.
Training and Development: The Evolution
Dating back to the dawn of man, there has been a need to teach basic skills to younger members of a tribe in order to prepare them for the transition from adolescence to adulthood. As ancient humans became dependent on primitive tools for survival, the need to pass along those skills to future generations became essential in insuring the sustainability of the species. "As man invented tools, weapons, clothing, shelter, and language, the need for training became an essential ingredient in the march of civilization" (Steinmetz, 1976, p. 1-3). This compulsory obligation to hand down knowledge was so critical to human existence, that it is forever engrained in our genealogy. While the need for sustenance and protection faced by people today is not nearly as immediate and problematic, that endemic motivation for survival is alive and well in today’s modern civilizations, albeit from a more entrepreneurial perspective. Our tools for survival have become much more complex though the generations, but the fundamental need to pass along knowledge and skill is just as important to today’s CEO as it was
Abstract
Modern training and development has evolved from a pre-historic need to pass along knowledge, into a high tech and fast paced world of information and technology. From the days of our Neolithic ancestors teaching their children to fashion primitive weapons, to physicians practicing surgery in simulated environments, training has satisfied an imperative obligation to pass along information to the next generation for the greater good of the species. This evolution is an adaptation to the changing world around us, and it is crucial to our survival. Of course, the trials and tribulation of modern man are less life and death, but this primitive need is still present in the entrepreneurial world of today. Equally prevalent is our never ending quest for knowledge.
Training and Development: The Evolution
Dating back to the dawn of man, there has been a need to teach basic skills to younger members of a tribe in order to prepare them for the transition from adolescence to adulthood. As ancient humans became dependent on primitive tools for survival, the need to pass along those skills to future generations became essential in insuring the sustainability of the species. "As man invented tools, weapons, clothing, shelter, and language, the need for training became an essential ingredient in the march of civilization" (Steinmetz, 1976, p. 1-3). This compulsory obligation to hand down knowledge was so critical to human existence, that it is forever engrained in our genealogy. While the need for sustenance and protection faced by people today is not nearly as immediate and problematic, that endemic motivation for survival is alive and well in today’s modern civilizations, albeit from a more entrepreneurial perspective. Our tools for survival have become much more complex though the generations, but the fundamental need to pass along knowledge and skill is just as important to today’s CEO as it was
References: Auden, W.H. Goodreads., Available from http://www.goodreads.com/. (quotes/tag/television), Sleight, D. A. (1993). A developmental history of training in the united states and europe. Unpublished raw data, Michigan State University, , Available from www.msu.edu., Steinmetz, C. S. (1976). The history of training. In (R. L. Craig, Ed.) Training and Development Handbook: A Guide to Human Resource Development, 2nd Ed. Sponsored by the American Society for Training and Development. New York: McGraw-Hill.