Introduction
Each country as a whole has a goal to improve the lives of its citizens through all means possible. National development covers all factors that potentially affect the quality of life of a country’s residents. In the era of globalization, it may appear that external factors prevail over internal ones when innovations of companies and investments into human capital cause rapid growth of a nation (Handoyo, 2018). However, the local values of the majority of people, including their attitudes toward work, change, and drive for innovation, are what lies at the core of many development processes (Handoyo, 2018). It is possible to construct a vision of a direction for a country that strives to improve its national development by examining how culture and perception of changes can cause shifts toward modernization.
Aim
Uncovering the impact of culture on national development potential is critical for all countries, especially the ones that are struggling to improve the quality of life of their citizens. Examining cultural factors that affect developmental processes that led many countries to their leading positions in the world can reveal what changes in a country’s collective views can boost its global standing. This paper aims to assess the impact of a country’s culture on national development, including its economic, technological, political, and social aspects.
Conceptual Clarification
This research aims to shed light on potential directions for national development, especially for countries that strive to rapidly increase their capacity to develop and integrate new technologies into local production. Cultural dimensions that were defined by Geert Hofstede can be taken as the influencing factors that assist with defining a nation’s capabilities to instigate progress (Brion, 2020). There are several apparent goals in changing culture that are must be viewed as the vectors for change in a national culture that are vital for a country’s development.
Several concepts will be viewed as the goals for transformation. First of all, investments and contractual relationships among organizations within a country can be seen as a marker of a successful transformation. These two factors influence the local economy and reflect a country’s orientation toward cooperation (Khan et al., 2022). Moreover, technological advancements are also critical for modern national development. The new step of progress called “digital transformation” occurs in the majority of the leading countries, yet it must be backed by socio-economic development that is not always present in less progressive regions (Dung et al., 2021). The rate of innovative local research that supports previous factors captures the progressiveness of national culture and will also be discussed.
Discussion
In every country, national development is pushed by both internal and external forces. However, culture may hamper both factors if the acceptance of long-term goals, the willingness to take risks, and competitiveness are low, while collectivism and traditional values are high (Handoyo, 2018). Therefore, laws and policies that gradually influence these factors via indirect signals are critical for implementation by governmental organizations into a country’s core.
Perceptions of the majority of citizens may serve as both hindrances or boosts during such transformation. Ideally, a constant pursuit of new knowledge and its transfer must lie at the core of a country’s national idea to improve its development. However, merely increasing expenditures on R&D is not enough, as this process relies on respect, equality among hierarchical levels, and the willingness to take risks (Handoyo, 2018). While the economic power of a country is a necessary contributor to this process, the values of an individual ultimately decide the outcome of any attempts at speeding up development.
It is apparent that the development process in the modern era is inseparable from external influences, as the Internet breaks most barriers to communication. National development depends on this source of information more than ever, as the immense vastness of knowledge available online cannot be overestimated. However, cultural norms can impose additional barriers that stop the newest technologies and techniques from being applied in an efficient way, including the Internet (Sarbaini et al., 2019). Most of all, the lack of technological proficiency hinders the development of new specialists by lessening their chances to partake in e-learning and cross-cultural knowledge sharing (Sarbaini et al., 2019). Such a direction can increase the rate of development of a country by opening new channels for communication and inviting investments into its local businesses.
Analysis and Strategic Solutions
It is in the best interests of a country to nurture an environment that welcomes innovation, change, and flexibility in the face of new challenges. However, this process is not easily instigated by internal forces without pushing the agenda promoting this change. In fact, many countries have explored the options to increase their production volumes of modern goods through political restructures that indirectly cause nations to become more welcoming to innovations (Dung et al., 2021). For example, the Vietnamese government attempts to rapidly gain momentum in national development through policies that coordinate processes, information, and workforce within local facilities that produce goods that are more valued in the modern world (Dung et al., 2021). Starting with children’s education to the very top of the country’s leaders, Vietnamese people learn how to efficiently manipulate information via training courses made available to them by investments in educational courses on digital literacy (Dung et al., 2021). Citizens of prosperous countries exhibit these features, making it apparent that they lie in the foundation of national development.
The socio-economic situation within a country has to nurture people’s core views on living and working. Being competitive is not an antonym of cooperation, as organizations within a country strive to bring their quality of life to a higher position. If the majority of residents hold these views at the highest stake in all their decisions, management of both governmental and private organizations will shift towards progressive goals (Dung et al., 2021). Knowledge acquisition and transfer that occur via modern means, such as e-learning, further expose a country’s residents to people who cherish values critical in a prosperous community (Sarbaini et al., 2019). Therefore, improving access to the Internet promotes a culture that welcomes external connections and becomes more respectful towards people from different origins.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the importance of culture in national development lies in the widespread worldviews among a country’s population that affect its citizens’ strive to improve their quality of life. The effects of culture reveal themselves in both internal and external communication, which improves the rate of innovations, financial development, and knowledge acquisition. As the digital era continues to shift global views on cooperation and healthy competitiveness, adopting an individualistic approach to national development is the difference between countries’ rates of poverty, financial stability, and respect from other nations.
The adoption of a new, modernized look on information is viewed as the key point in transforming society, yet it must be integrated into its very core to be successful. Education that starts in early life must constantly highlight the importance of digital tools in order to ensure that new generations are capable of bringing change within a country. Being open to new connections is what defines a country that focuses on its national development in the era of globalization.
Recommendations
Countries that strive to improve their rates of national development should start from generations that are more open to change. Lagging countries must look no further than restructuring their educational policies and facilities to gradually improve the quality of their workforce, which will push them towards new opportunities. Education is the foundation for this change that must be adjusted to meet new expectations of the rapidly globalized and digitalized world. Therefore, a country that aims to gain momentum in national development must aim to train its workforce to be knowledgeable in technological fields, such as the Internet of Things, blockchain, and cloud computing (Dung et al., 2021). Both adult and school education can be adapted to these new concepts, increasing the rate of change in society.
Governmental organizations can also show support to the financial sector to invite investors and promote competitive behavior among local firms. Eventual shifts towards individualism and uncertainty acceptance are expected to occur. A culture based on individualistic values allows people to perceive their risk-taking activities as less disrupting to others and drive innovation forward (Khan et al., 2022). Institutions will be empowered by such a perception among people, causing natural increases in national development rates.
References
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Khan, M. A., Gu, L., Khan, M. A., & Meyer, N. (2022). The effects of national culture on financial sector development: Evidence from emerging and developing economies. Borsa Istanbul Review, 22(1), 103-112. Web.
Sarbaini, S., Jumadi, J., Abbas, E. W., & Rajiani, I. (2019). Managing E-learning in public universities by investigating the role of culture. Polish Journal of Management Studies, 20(1), 394-404. Web.