If we imagine the economy as a high-speed train, the role of the State is not to act as the locomotive pulling the entire system forward. Rather, it is the architect of the railway tracks and signaling system—the institutions and strategic directions that guide development.
Well-designed tracks ensure that the train remains on course, but they do not generate speed. Speed emerges only when there is sufficient driving force within the system itself.
Within this framework, organizations and businesses serve as the locomotive, transforming strategic direction into real economic momentum. Individual workers, meanwhile, are not passive passengers. They are integral components of the operating system, generating the value and energy that ultimately determine the train’s speed.
This is where the central challenge of achieving double-digit growth lies. The issue is not a lack of strategic direction. Rather, organizations and businesses need a positive culture and effective mechanisms capable of translating strategic goals into behavioral motivation.
At the organizational level, growth objectives are often translated into key performance indicators (KPIs), operating procedures, and performance evaluation systems. However, when these objectives are disconnected from employees’ personal values and developmental aspirations, they can easily become sources of pressure rather than drivers of breakthrough performance. A locomotive operating under such conditions may continue moving, but it is unlikely to propel the entire train at high speed.
An empirical study conducted in Vietnam (and led by co-author of this article Professor Bui Thi Minh Hong) reveals a clear mechanism through which growth is generated. Individual career aspirations serve as the primary source of motivation, but they do not directly translate into organizational growth. Instead, they operate through a two-stage transformation process.
First, when individuals possess strong aspirations for personal and professional development, they invest more effort in their core responsibilities. This enhances their in-role performance—their ability to perform assigned tasks with greater quality, accountability, and effectiveness. This stage represents a necessary foundation, much like ensuring that every component of a train functions reliably before attempting to accelerate.
Only after this foundation is established does the second stage emerge. Individuals begin to make extra-role contributions—voluntary behaviors that are not formally required but generate significant added value. These contributions may include process improvements, knowledge sharing, mentoring colleagues, proposing new initiatives, or identifying innovative solutions to organizational challenges. It is these extra-role contributions that provide the genuine acceleration force.
A critical insight is that such above-and-beyond contributions cannot be mandated. An organization may instruct employees to be more innovative, proactive, or entrepreneurial, but if individuals have not yet achieved strong performance in their core responsibilities, such expectations are unlikely to materialize. Conversely, when personal aspirations are properly activated, they naturally lead to stronger in-role performance, which then creates the conditions for extra-role contributions to emerge.
Growth, therefore, does not come primarily from performance pressure. It comes from intrinsic motivation that has been carefully designed, nurtured, and activated.
However, individual aspirations cannot flourish without a strong organizational engine. Organizations with a clear strategic direction, consistent values, and the ability to connect growth objectives with meaningful work experiences are able to amplify individual aspirations into tangible performance outcomes. In such organizations, the workplace is not merely a venue for assigning tasks; it becomes the driving system of growth itself. Achieving this requires a redesign of several core organizational functions.
Learning and development programs should move beyond technical skill training to focus on cultivating long-term growth capabilities and career aspirations. Internal communication should help employees understand where the organization is heading and how their individual roles contribute to that journey. This creates meaningful engagement and collective strength rather than mere compliance.
Managers and leaders must also embrace a more open and empowering mindset. They should encourage ambitious individuals to develop and excel rather than viewing high-performing employees as potential threats. Great leaders understand that when their people shine, the leader’s influence and legacy grow even stronger.
At the ecosystem level, professional associations and expert communities serve as vital connecting hubs where professional standards are established and aspirations are continuously nurtured. More importantly, a flexible and transparent labor market enables ambitious individuals to move to the environments best suited to their talents and aspirations, rather than being constrained by inefficient organizational structures. In doing so, their contributions are not limited to a single organization but are optimized across the broader economy.
From this perspective, achieving double-digit growth is not merely a matter of capital, technology, public policy, or innovation. It is fundamentally a question of organizational culture and the design of motivational systems. When the tracks are properly laid, the locomotive is strong—supported by a healthy organizational culture—and individuals operate with a sense of aspiration and purpose, high-speed growth ceases to be a slogan and instead becomes the natural outcome of an effectively functioning system.
Growth, therefore, is not simply a number reported in economic statistics. It is the cumulative result of millions of daily acts of work, creativity, and dedication. When organizational motivation and individual aspiration are aligned in the right way, the economy’s growth engine will not only move faster, but also more sustainably and in the right direction.
