Dechen Dolkar
The Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) recently hosted an Executive Forum (ExFo) to realign and reorient the civil service in response to His Majesty the King’s visionary Royal Address on the 117th National Day.
Held in two sessions from December 23–24 and December 25–26, the forum brought together about 100 senior executives from ministries, agencies, dzongkhags, and thromdes.
Themed “Enlightened Entrepreneurial Bureaucracy 10x Productivity (EEB10XP),” the forum aimed to accelerate civil service transformation through introspection and strategic planning.
Chairperson of RCSC, Tashi Pem said that the ExFo, held immediately following His Majesty The King’s visionary address on 117th National Day Address, presents a unique opportunity for the RCSC to reset its course and embark on a journey towards achieving the goal of an “Enlightened Entrepreneurial Bureaucracy”.
“We envision a transformed civil service that is agile, innovative, and enterprising—capable of attracting experts back to Bhutan, enabling equal opportunities, and demonstrating that even small nations can lead by example,” she added.
Tashi Pem also emphasised the urgency of the transformation, underscoring the 10-year timeline set by His Majesty. “The clock has started ticking. Failure to align with Gelephu Mindfulness City’s progress could undermine our nation’s collective success.”
Calling for radical self-assessment and bold action, she urged leaders to break free from traditional ways of working. She emphasised the need for senior executives to lead by example, inspire transformative change, and cultivate a legacy of capable leaders for the future.”
The Founder of the Center for Transformation and Innovation (CTI), USA, and Leadership Expert Mo Kasti facilitated the sessions.
Participants were equipped with tools and strategies to enhance productivity, foster collaboration, and implement entrepreneurial approaches in their organisations.
Self-assessments conducted during the forum identified gaps in key leadership competencies, including innovative thinking, risk-taking, systems thinking, change management, and digital leadership.
Executives explored strategies to transform the civil service, emphasising agility, innovation, and proactive problem-solving. They identified critical challenges, referred to as “big rocks,” and developed targeted strategies to address them.
The forum also aligned its goals with the “Diamond Strategy” and prepared for Bhutan’s convergence with the Gelephu Mindfulness City.
The forum concluded with executives pledging to streamline processes for citizen-centric public service delivery, embrace innovation and inter-agency collaboration, build talent and capabilities for future roles, and create value for Bhutan’s people and economy.
The collective efforts of the senior executives aim to ensure that the civil service remains a cornerstone of Bhutan’s national development, aligned with His Majesty’s vision of transformation and progress.