What this lesson teaches
I can explain how people from different backgrounds share knowledge and skills with one another.
Syllabus K336, Issue 2, Guiding Question 2, Experiences and effects of living in a diverse society. Exchange of knowledge and skills
Make a guess
In 1960 Singapore had few industries. What do you think a Dutch economist, Albert Winsemius, added when he came to advise?
- Money from his own government to pay for new factories.
- Little, since foreign advisers do not understand local problems well.
- Knowledge of how to build industries, shared across nationalities and borders.
Show the answer
Knowledge of how to build industries, shared across nationalities and borders.
He led a 1960 UN mission and advised Singapore until 1984. Knowledge from one person can help a whole country.
People with different training and experiences can teach each other and solve problems together.
Knowledge is understanding facts, ideas and how things work. A skill is being able to do something. A colleague might explain a method, show it and help someone practise until they can do it alone.
Different perspectives can spot problems or solutions one person would miss. Working together can improve a product or service and build people's abilities. Sharing can go both ways: you may teach one skill and learn another.
A diverse team does not share skills automatically. It needs time, clear communication, willingness to listen and chances to work on useful tasks. Skills come from training and experience, not from someone's nationality or ethnicity.
Singapore's own growth shows this. In 1960 a United Nations team came to study how Singapore could build up factories. It was led by Albert Winsemius, a Dutch economist. Winsemius then advised the government until 1984. He brought ideas, such as setting up factories to create jobs quickly. Local leaders brought knowledge of Singapore's people and politics. Neither side alone had all the knowledge needed.
Exchange also works between individuals. Singapore potter Iskandar Jalil studied ceramics in Japan. He blended Japanese methods with Southeast Asian and Islamic influences in his work, then mentored Singapore students and helped them learn from potters in Japan. Skills learned across cultures were passed on to the next generation.
- Knowledge
- Understanding facts and ideas.
- Skill
- Being able to do something.
- Skills come from
- Training and experience, not nationality or ethnicity.
Real examples to use
Albert Winsemius, 1960 to 1984
A Dutch economist who led a 1960 UN mission and advised Singapore on industrialisation until 1984. Use it for knowledge shared across nationalities helping a whole country.
Iskandar Jalil
A Singapore potter who studied ceramics in Japan, mixed Japanese, Southeast Asian and Islamic influences, and mentored local students. Use it for skills exchange between individuals of different cultures.
Worked example: Albert Winsemius and Singapore's industrialisation, 1960 to 1984
In 1960, a year after Singapore gained self-government, a United Nations team led by Dutch economist Albert Winsemius studied Singapore's economy. It proposed a ten-year plan to move from entrepot trade to manufacturing. Winsemius stayed on as an economic adviser until 1984. Labour-intensive industries, such as making shirts, were expanded to create jobs.
- Knowledge from outside: Winsemius brought experience of how other economies had industrialised.
- Local knowledge: Singapore's leaders knew local conditions and had to win people's support for the plan.
- Outcome: combining both helped create jobs at a time of high unemployment. This was a working partnership over many years, not one visit.
Watch out for this
Hiring an expert automatically gives everyone nearby their skills.
Skills spread only through explanation, practice and feedback.
Check your understanding
Why can a team with different training solve some problems better?
- Members bring different knowledge and can spot what others miss.
- Certain nationalities are naturally better at certain kinds of skills.
- Members with different training argue less, so decisions come faster.
Show the answer
Members bring different knowledge and can spot what others miss.
Right. Different perspectives widen what the team can see and do.