Thus each innovation is widely diffused and has a comprehensive effect on the market or the organisation, even incremental innovations. Compared with this, the single leaming act has a limited distribution and effect. Furthermore, an innovation must be new - either a completely new element or a new combination of old elements — while the act of learning does not need to be new. The act of leaming can be repeated (a large-scale activity) and it can be new, but if it is both new and repeated, it is an innovation.