Understanding the Concept of Development
Development is change that brings about good. It’s important to understand how your business or organization is developing so you can plan for the future. It is also essential to communicate your company’s progress so team members know where you’re going.
For example, if your business is preparing to launch a new product, it’s important to conduct market risk research before production starts so you can anticipate any obstacles and take corrective actions. This prevents the project from getting derailed in the middle of production and helps ensure that the timeline stays on track.
As a concept, development has evolved over time with different emphases and definitions. For example, Amartya Sen developed the “capability approach,” which emphasizes enabling people to reach their full potential through economic and social freedoms. Other scholars have taken a broader view, focusing on improving the quality of life for all through policies such as education, health, and social protections.
There is no one measure of development, but a country’s level of development can be assessed by comparing its gross national income (GNI) per capita with that of other countries. Other indicators can include a nation’s life expectancy and literacy rate.
Some theorists, such as Piaget and Vygotsky, believe that humans play an active role in their own development. They believe that children actively experience the world around them and construct new ways to internally represent that experience through their thinking, such as through language or mental imagery. Other theorists, such as lifespan or ecological systems approaches, think that development can occur on a variety of patterns and pathways depending on the culture and environment in which it unfolds.