Contents
Maslow as Driver of Talents
Some time ago I read an Article about the economic progress of United Arab Emirates in the last years. It says that the UAE are getting more and more popular for talents. The economy is booming and as it seems, this is happening independently from the huge resources in oil in that area. What is these mentioned talents driving to consider, working in the UAE? What is the best Environment for Talents?
The most logical and most known first approach to this is the Pyramid of Needs from Maslow. This defines type and order of needs and their satisfaction in a simple way:
1) Basic Needs: At first each Human Being / Talent aims in fulfilling basic needs like Food, Drinks and Cloths. These needs keep him alive.
2) Safety Needs: Than the Talent is looking for securing his safety. He is building a Home where he feels safe.
3) Social Needs: It is time for satisfying Social needs, as soon as the Basic Needs and the Safety Needs are achieved. The Talent is looking for Social Connections.
4) Personal Achievements: Finally when everything else is given, than the Talent is also working on Personal Achievements, such as buying a boat.
This approach is a standard in the literature and yes, it makes sense to follow this way. Is it really that simple? Or might the poverty of the UAE region possibly talk to the Personal Achievement Needs of the Talents directly and Basic and Safety Needs are already in advance expected as given?
Updated Voices that drive Talents
Additionally to what Maslow defined several years ago, I also found an Article from Pamela Rutledge, which was published in Psychology Today in November 2011 (Title: “Social Networks: What Maslow Misses”). Pamela points out that every days life is more than just a pyramid of needs ordered by hierarchy.
This mixes up the well-known and often promoted hierarchy. What does this now mean for an area attracting talents?
Finally catching the Talents
The achievement of the target area is economic success. I am talking about an economic success caused by talents joining an area. What does these talents now finally convince to move to a new area (not considering weather or landscapes)?
Leaders for Talents
Talents need a good Leadership. Talents are good in what they do, but they need someone leading them. Leading is more than just deciding. It also includes Giving Structures, Showing up Ways and Giving Feedback (positive and negative). Furthermore, it includes a Clear Communication as well as an Understanding of the Talents Needs. However, is leadership a reason talents go abroad? In some points, it might be and leadership is important to make talents successful, but in general, there has to be something else (as well).
Safety and Community to be Tolerant
The Capitals Media controls the Opinion
Might a great Leadership and Tolerance be reason enough for regions like Dubai to be successful? From my perspective the human spirit of economic success is leading many talents to move abroad. An area blessed in the media for a lot of economic success might raise thoughts in some talents head. They might move with the faith in personal economic success in that area. As described by Pamela Rutledge, the way of Need Satisfaction is unique and different for every person. So might targeted reports in the Media influence the opinion of a region and convince Talents to join it, financed by the high volume of natural Resources that bring money into the region.
Politics as borders of some Needs
Also the political environment is a very important influence for a region. Let us look at Venezuela: Venezuela has many oil resources as well. Instead of working on economic success, Venezuela tries to make the dream of a completely socialistic system come true. The possibilities of Personal Achievements are minimized, but also basic goods like food are actually missing in that country. There are not many talents moving to Venezuela today, they even try to leave.
The Building of Talent Catching
In other words:
Let us compare the conditions for the Environment for Talents with building a simple house. The political system would be the ground. As Foundation of the Building we have the capital. Material and dimensions of the foundation are directly depending on the ground, but also on the Walls and roof it has to carry. Tolerance and Leadership are the walls, holding the talents up as the roof.