The modern company is "a place to learn". And this
learning is not limited to the "specific skills" induced
by some training courses but implies the acquisition of
more "general habits" that may become a second nature in
the working community. There is a "focused" learning,
vertical and formal, that should be constantly updated in
order to follow the company's evolution and there is also
a "distributed" learning, horizontal and non-formal,
which belongs to the "culture" and to the peculiar
"style" of each company.
The distribution of new digital resources in a company
implies a process of assimilation that can be long and
difficult. It is not enough to install the last
technology in a company to produce a mental change in the
users. There can be some failures in the training courses
or some wrong technological decisions that may prevent
the acquisition of the new e-knowledge.
Howard Gardner, professor of education at Harvard and
the author of a well known theory concerning the
"multiple intelligences" rises the question of the
scholastic origin of most mental tests in
contradistinction with the differents needs of the
business sectors and roles in the 21st century. We need a
new kind of intellectual evaluation in the digital
era.
The individuals related to a company form a vast
community, a true "expanded company" with important
intellectual, moral and affective resources that could be
shared. In particular the digital networks can help to
establish a robust community without spatial or time
frontiers. A modern company should use these powerful
resources to enhance the quality of life of its
members.