Self-Dependency

Self-dependency is the 4th factor of the series, 6 Factors to Improve Innovation in the GCC Region.

Self-dependency can be divided into two types, it can be at the level of a country in which we refer to it as a self-sufficient or self-reliant economy/place/country or at the individual level in which it can be referred to simply as self-independent or self-reliant.

Long-term, we must begin to build our internal strengths. It isn’t just skills like computer technology. It’s the old-fashioned basics of self-reliance, self-motivation, self-reinforcement, self-discipline, self-command.

Steven Pressfield

The term itself can apply to any entity that can match its demands locally out of different categories such as energy, food, materials, human resource, etc or all together. Self-dependent economies, which are completely closed from the outside world, are called closed economies or what is known as Autarky.

According to a study published in researchgate.net, the Middle East and South Africa are on the list of non-independent food countries as they depend on trade and imports to fill their market gaps.

However, countries such as the USA, Canada, Russia, Argentina, Brazil, and Indonesia are self food-dependent as they can fit their requirement and export the rest.  Another type of self-dependency is in the field of energy, which Masdar City in UAE is a great example in the GCC region. The ambitious project is meant to achieve a 100% environmentally friendly city based on clean energy.

We can see how self-reliant country/location/society is important in terms of costs, availability, and economic consistency. One of the most important components of dependence is human resource.

Having local expertise and professionals capable of performing all kinds of tasks and duties is a key driver of innovation in a specific society.

The three factors that we have discussed thus far were to establish an infrastructure to achieve this goal.

However, no matter which era we are living in, we always end up with some old mentalities that insist on adapting the status quos. They will reject innovation and spread negativity all around society.

Most of the time, those are the majority of the population, and when someone comes up with a unique or a new concept they will be the first to attack and slow them down.

Don’t even bother, because that exactly what happened with some of the famous minds around the world such as Thomas Edison, Einstein, Charlie Chaplin and Newton.

They were discarded by their own society while people used to think that they were mentally not sustainable. However, by looking at their achievements, those are the people who truly changed the world.

If we couldn’t find enough support, it doesn’t mean to quit our dream. In fact, it should give us more motivation to do it ourselves or gather a team and let our dream be a reality.

We have many more resources than the above names had in their times! Nowadays, we can easily travel, and buy books, use the internet and research journals and articles, meet experts, or even attend online courses.

The sky is the limit if we really want to learn and create a difference.

Let’s keep in mind that every game changer once was like us, a person with a specific goal, and with more knowledge, practice and proper execution, they took their legendary seat in history.

Once we gained that specific expertise, discovered that component, or achieved that target, then recognition, achievements, and rewards will knock our door sooner or later.

If we have discovered how to cure the Covid-19 virus or invented a device that can convert the wastage into clean energy, then we will find people race to get us on board simply because we are delivering an added value, a benefit that has demand.

Unfortunately, we don’t believe in our talents to achieve or deliver. Therefore, we don’t invest and support their innovative efforts. However, in countries such as Singapore, USA, Germany, or Japan, if they found a talent anywhere in the world, they will treat them like royals and do the impossible to pull them to their labs and lavish their skills.

It’s important to realize that success brings money, but money doesn’t always bring success. You may fail many times until you reach your goal, but when you do so, it will be much easier to convince society and jump to your next milestones.

In factor number 5, Monitoring and Managing Disruptions, we will tackle the importance of understanding the continuous disruptions and trends in our societies and how monitoring and managing them affects innovation with real-world examples.