Achievement Orientation

"The Strength Of A Country's Economy Linked To The Intelligence Of Its People" - Comment in the LinkedIn Group: National Academy of Psychology (NAOP), India

Senthil:

I feel that it is is not just intelligence. Is there a dearth of intelligence in our country? I feel the strength of a country's economy is significantly linked to the presence of 'achievement orientation present among its people.

In continuation, I would like to add that as behavioural scientists we have not given much importance to the great work done by David Mclleland who has done lot of work relating need to achievement to country's economic status. His work published in Achieving Society (1961) indicates how the presence of need for achievement is correlated to the country's economic development. His subsequent work on entrepreneurial orientation prescribes a solution to country's development. he has taken psychology out of the couch and the lab and spread it to the macro level. If I am not wrong he must be the first psychologist to do so ( If anyone knows about other psychologists who have done so, pl do share the details). In India once his work formed the basis of many initiative - noticeable among them are the Institutes of entrepreneurship developments at Delhi (NIESBUD) and at Ahmadebad (EDI) which were involved in the promotion of entrepreneurship wherein developing achievement motivation is an integral part. Both of them have great success stories in promoting economic initiatives through developing entrepreneurship throughout the country including the rural areas. I was associated with one such collaboration between the Department of Psychology and the Small Industries Service Institute of the Ministry of Industries (Now MSME), Govt of India wherein many rural youth were transformed into entrepreneurs.