IMD World Talent Ranking 2021

to the levels of motivation as well. Figure 9 describes this strongly positive relationship. To summarize, we show that countries with strong management leadership (assessed by their competences, the quality of management studies, and international exposure) are the ones in which workers’ motivation is high and therefore guarantee the retention and attraction of highly skilled employees.

Undoubtedly, the competence of managers depends on the levels of education and experiences they have. Figure 8 presents the relationship between workers’ motivation and whether the management education in the country is satisfactory. The figure depicts a strong positive relationship implying that countries characterized by high levels of management, and therefore counties that prepare more adequately their managers for the challenges they may face, are also the countries with high levels of workers’ motivation. One additional criterion that provides further indication of the competences of managers is their exposure to other countries, cultures and practices. This allows managers to compare and contrast their managerial approaches within a broader framework, a capacity that is important in relation Concluding remarks Regional trends have shown that the talent raking is dominated by countries from Western Europe. The trends also highlight the increasing levels of talent competitiveness among several Central/Eastern European economies and the continuous stagnation experienced by countries from the South American region. Our results this year, in addition, show that the level of worker motivation is fundamental for talent competitiveness. The boosting of that motivation goes beyond economic incentives such as remuneration and is increasingly linked to a country’s quality of life. Results also emphasize the impact of organizational leadership in cementing the motivation among members of the workforce. We have seen, for example, how the competence and international experience of managers sustain that motivation. Other contributing factors to worker motivation in highly talent- competitive countries include retraining opportunities for staff members. Additionally, trends among top-ranked economies indicate that talent competitiveness greatly relies on striking a balance between the development and retention of domestic talent, and continuously attracting overseas talent. The balance is located at the point in which an economy whose talent pool cannot meet the demand for

particular skills or competencies, is able to tap into the overseas pipeline to do so. Trends among top-ranked countries, also highlight the possible role that the adoption of particular policies to counteract the effect of the COVID-19 crisis have had in reducing the threats that brain drain presents to talent competitiveness. Furthermore, the overall strength of the health system greatly contributes to the level of talent competitiveness. To conclude, it is important to emphasize that success in a post-pandemic context will greatly depend on the level of motivation of the workforce. In such a context, therefore, the interconnection between organizational leadership and worker motivation will remain all the more essential for talent competitiveness.

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IMD WORLD TALENT RANK ING 2021