Developing Human Capability to Believe in Bhutan

Leadership Laboratories That Drive Real Results

Rather than simply attending a training course, a cohort of 125 senior officials, including ministers and department heads, began the year-long program by actively learning about and focusing on systems thinking and participatory stakeholder engagement. During the first three months, the government leaders trained over 625 of their fellow civil servants to conduct over 6,800 face-to-face interviews and gather survey data from internal and external stakeholders. Executives then conducted 125 ‘North Star’ workshops where they worked with teams to analyse the data and identify stakeholder-priority initiatives.

Co-created initiatives were then aligned with national priorities set forth in Bhutan’s twelfth five-year plan (GNHC, 2019), and projects became ‘leadership laboratories’ where executives and their team members learned and leveraged high-impact leadership tools while executing project objectives. As illustrative case studies, Tables 1–3 highlight the focus and outcomes of 3 of the 125 projects.

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Table 1.

Case Study 1: Diagnosing and Preventing Non-Communicable Diseases.

Project	Opportunistic Screening of NCDs in Tandem with a Blood Donation Programme.
Project Leader	Pemba Wangchuk, Director General, DTMS and Office Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Royal Government of Bhutan.
Organisation	Bhutan Ministry of Health (MoH).
Stakeholders	Health is a universal need and right; therefore, the entire Bhutanese population are stakeholders for the MoH. Other major stakeholders are healthcare professionals, programme managers and policymakers. These stakeholders were identified through brainstorming sessions among the MoH NLP Project.
Improvement opportunity	The MoH NLP team conducted online surveys, interviews and sought written opinions from various stakeholders, inquiring about the healthcare service areas that require immediate attention to prevent future adversities. The information gleaned was evaluated in 17 stakeholder brainstorming sessions at the MoH, where the team found that the most pertinent healthcare-related issue was the growing Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD) burden in the country. The rapid modernisation of the country and changes in people’s lifestyles are expected to increase the number of NCD cases; however, due to limited facilities and awareness, the cases were not detected optimally. As per the stakeholders, the NCD screenings in Bhutan are almost always performed in healthcare centres, therefore, there is an opportunity for improvement. While the initiative of Service with Care and Compassion is commendable and promising, NCD screening coverage may remain relatively low given that it is a premises-bound approach. Therefore, there is a need for a multi-location approach to address this complex and rapidly growing issue. Using the information gathered from stakeholders as well as our experience and knowledge, the team determined that expanding NCD screening beyond the healthcare centre boundaries could potentially address the low NCD screening coverage in the country. After thorough deliberation, the MoH NLP team decided to focus on opportunistic screening outside of the health facilities for hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM), the two most common NCDs in the country.
Project results statement	Diagnose, control and prevent NCDs (HTN and DM) through innovative screening for reduction of NCD-related premature mortality rate from 34% to <25% by 2023 (KPI 14.2).
Solution to test	After determining the improvement opportunity, due to feasibility issues, the team decided to piggyback NCD screening with a blood donation programme in five Dzongkhags (National Districts) through purposive sampling. The hypothesis was that expanding NCD screening beyond the healthcare centre boundaries could lead to early detection, prevention and clinical intervention of NCD, as well as increase public awareness, resulting in better clinical outcomes, a better quality of life and reduced national and individual healthcare cost due to NCDs.
Project theory of change	If we engage in an opportunistic screening of NCDs (HTN & DM) in tandem with a blood donation programme or other activities involving the general public and healthcare professionals outside of the healthcare centre… Then, we will achieve better NCD screening coverage and a higher rate of public participation, which will materialise our target of early NCD detection, therapeutic intervention, preventive intervention and mass awareness, all of which are linked to national five-year plan key performance indicator 14.2 (reduction of premature mortality rate due to NCDs)… Because our stakeholders will be able to live a healthy and quality life, which will contribute to a healthy and caring society and, eventually, the realisation of Gross National Happiness (GNH).
Project initiatives and action	The MoH NLP established a ‘five-star team’ assigned roles and responsibilities to individual team members (leader, project manager, collaborator, critic, expert, scribe and CFO) to optimise teamwork. Then, to identify stakeholder needs they conducted online surveys, interviews and sought written opinions from various stakeholders, inquiring about the healthcare service areas that require immediate attention to prevent future adversities. The data gathered through crowdsourcing were strategically sorted and used for brainstorming at the Ministry of Health. Seventeen brainstorming sessions were held with stakeholders, which highlighted 16 healthcare-related concerns, the most common of which was NCD. The team then identified pilot populations where opportunistic NCD screening could be tested in five Dzongkhag (National Districts: Thimphu, Chukha, Lhuentse, Sarpang and WangduePhodrang)) in tandem with a blood donation programme. The pilot population participants included the general public in Sarpang, monks from Namdroling Monastery in Lhuentse, students and staff of College of Science and Technology in Chhukha, students and staff of Samthang Technical Training Institute in WangduePhodrang, and Bank of Bhutan employees and the general public in Thimphu Dzongkhag. Program participants were screened for NCDs while participating in blood donation.
Metrics and results	The team detected 156 new presumptive hypertensives (raised blood pressure) and eight new presumptive diabetes mellitus cases. Among the newly detected NCD cases, based on diagnostic severity, 31 raised blood pressure cases were recommended for treatment, and 8 presumptive diabetes cases were recommended for fasting blood glucose level and HbA1c estimation to confirm diabetes. Furthermore, 164 people were recommended for various NCD preventive interventions, and more than 372 people were educated about NCDs. The team achieved these results because they broke the traditional approach of providing healthcare within the premises of a healthcare facility and instead took NCD screening and awareness to the people, considering their convenience. Based on the Final Impact Survey, the satisfaction level of stakeholders regarding NCD screening and awareness prior to the project was 5.17 on a scale of 1–10 and increased to 8.12 after the implementation of the project. This increase in stakeholder satisfaction was attributed to the establishment of improved access to NCD screening and education services. To ensure continuous improvement in stakeholder satisfaction, the team aims to incorporate the NCD screening and awareness campaign into all other activities involving massive gatherings outside of the healthcare centre, such as ENT camps, surgery camps, outreach clinics, elections and festivals. Furthermore, they aim to raise NCD awareness among Bhutanese people by disseminating educational materials through appropriate media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, MoH website, etc.). The same Final Impact Survey also showed that all stakeholders agreed that the situation improved after the project implementation. None of the participants reported that there was no improvement. Almost half of the participants (44%) reported that the project had significant improvement of the situation. About 9% reported that there was a slight improvement, about 23% reported there was moderate, and about 24% reported a strong improvement.
Next steps	Opportunistic screening for NCD in conjunction with a blood donation programme has the potential to address current and future NCD issues by improving early detection and mass awareness. Therefore, to best serve stakeholders, the team will integrate NCD screening into all other healthcare activities outside of the healthcare centre (e.g., blood donation programs, ENT camps, surgery camps, outreach clinics) or wherever there is a large gathering (e.g., Tshechu, election, etc.) across the country. Furthermore, the efficiency of integrating NCD screening and other activities will be strategically reviewed and amended as needed for continuous improvement. As a preventive measure, continued efforts will be made to enhance NCD awareness among Bhutanese people by posting educational materials on suitable media (Facebook, Instagram, MoH websites etc.) and the team will leverage high-level advocacy on NCDs (e.g., Her Majesty making public statements). To sustain momentum and maximise the impact of the NLP programme on the development of Bhutan, the team will continue to actively practice and teach the NLP tools (performance coaching, five-star teams, agile problem solving, etc.) and to civil servants within the MoH and healthcare professionals throughout the country.

Source: Wangchuck (2022).

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Table 2.

Case Study 2: Promoting Renewable Energy Systems in Rural Communities.

Project	Promoting Renewable Energy Systems in Rural Communities.
Project leader	Phuntsho Namgyal, Director for the Department of Renewable Energy and the Department of Geology and Mines, Royal Government of Bhutan.
Organisation	Department of Renewable Energy, Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Stakeholders	Bhutan has achieved 99.97% electrification, however, the Aja Ney community in Mongar remains one of the few rural communities that do not have access to clean energy. Aja is one of the most remote and sacred pilgrimage sites under Shermuhung gewog in Mongar Dzongkhag (District). It is located within the core zone of the Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS), and it takes more than 7 hours to travel on foot. The community relies on firewood to meet their cooking and heating demands while kerosene lamps and stand-alone solar sets are used for lighting purposes. As such, there is significant pressure on natural resources such as firewood, especially during the pilgrimage season.
Improvement opportunity	The people of Aja would benefit from electrification. Firewood-based cooking has resulted in people suffering from respiratory-related diseases and eye diseases. Community members also spend a significant amount of time collecting firewood which takes time away from engaging in economically uplifting activities. Having access to modern energy would bridge the gap in that people could use modern appliances such as rice cookers, water boilers, solar dryers, heaters, cell phones, etc. Such technology would enhance comfort, improve livelihoods and enable digital connectivity with the rest of the country for various citizen-centric services like telemedicine and medical counselling. In addition, it would reduce firewood usage leading to positive climate action and healthier lives owing to better indoor air quality. The Department of Renewable Energy has received many proposals for the electrification of the Aja community. However, grid extension remains impossible for the foreseeable future since the community is situated within the core area of BWS, which has environmental restrictions.
Project results statement	Provide reliable electricity to the Aja Community with innovative Solar Technology to improve their lives and livelihood and contribute towards national energy security.
Solution to test	In consultation with stakeholders, an innovative idea to electrify Aja with a decentralised solar mini-grid was conceptualised. The project team determined to identify funding sources, procure equipment and then work with the community to install an 80 kW decentralised solar PV mini-grid, which would provide access to clean, reliable and affordable modern energy.
Project theory of change	If we engage in: electrification activities for Aja community with solar technology… Then the community will benefit from access to clean, reliable and affordable modern energy, fulfilling national targets to achieve energy security, reduce carbon emission and improve livelihoods for economic enhancement, thereby building a developed Bhutan for our children and grandchildren… Because the community will: save time energy and money, engage in productive economic activities, gain improved indoor air quality, reduce deforestation, access online services and promote ecotourism.
Project initiatives and action	Once the team established clear ‘five-star team’ purpose, roles, rules and relationships, they worked with stakeholders to identify the solution to test outlined above. Then, they brainstormed the following potential challenges with stakeholders: The project site is located in a very remote area without access to motorable road and requires walking for almost 7 hours uphill. There was only a short window of favourable weather to carry out the work at the site, since most of the time the site experienced extremely cold or wet weather due to snowfall in winter and rain during the summer monsoon. Transportation of materials to the project sites would be extremely difficult due to the weather at the site, which was further impacted by the national pandemic lockdown and untimely snowfalls. The streams were swollen due to continuous downpours, and the routes were slippery and infested with leeches and insects. Dealing with multiple stakeholders and funding agencies would be difficult due to various reporting modalities, obtaining clearances from local and national authorities, addressing needs of each household in the community, and ensuring constant communication with the contractors. Despite the challenges, the team resolved the issues and executed the project on time. This was made possible due to the team’s constant efforts by meeting weekly to discuss the progress, issues and challenges of the project. The ‘5Ls tool’ for agile problem solving and the ‘THEMES tool for strategic sensing were effectively used and the team networked with stakeholders who had previously worked with solar projects, funding agencies, and contractors or rural communities’. The people of the Aja community were engaged throughout the project period and several community members were hired as part of the construction and material delivery team. This was intentionally done to provide them the opportunity to earn daily wages while at the same time learning about the operations of the solar plant. They were also trained on the basics of how a solar PV plant functions, and how to carry out operation and maintenance of the system once it is handed over to them.
Metrics and results	The satisfaction ratings before and after were 7 and 9, respectively, whereby the percentage increase in satisfaction was 28.6%. The satisfaction increase is attributed to the following: Installation of solar PV mini-grid plant was completed and hence the community had access to modern, reliable and affordable electricity. Community members were trained and empowered them to operate and maintain the solar PV plant independently. Community members can now avoid collecting firewood and use modern amenities for cooking, lighting, heating and communication, and therefore dedicate more time on other socio-economic activities. Improvement in indoor air quality leading to better health conditions. The survey also indicated that 100% stakeholders agreed that the project improved the situation. Other key metrics that were tracked include the following: Output Measurement 1: % of installation of 80 kW decentralised solar PV plant completed. The installation was completed fully on 16th of September 2022. Output Measurement 2: Community members trained on the operation & maintenance of the plant. The data were collected through training report and the training was completed on 7th September 2022. However, the department and the project team will continue providing technical backstopping to the community for the operation and maintenance of the plant. Outcome Measurement: Clean and renewable electricity is provided to the Aja Community. This metric is being tracked through ongoing biannual satisfaction reports and quarterly energy meter readings.
Next steps	In order to ensure long-term sustainability, the community has been empowered through management systems and technical support to own, operate and maintain the solar PV mini-grid plant. To ensure good governance, a committee has been formed to oversee ongoing operations and maintenance with the Tshogpa (village representative to the local government) appointed as the committee chairperson. Governance frameworks have been drafted which outline the details on the collection of tariffs, appointment of operators and maintenance works. Additionally, representatives from the district government and national department will serve as advisors in this committee. From a technical standpoint, regular technical backstopping will be given by the Department in addition to drafting of detailed SOP for the operation and maintenance of the plant. The operations and maintenance committee will be trained periodically to reinforce the earlier trainings, and regular meetings with stakeholders will be conducted to ensure the sustainability of the project and to discuss other possible issues the project may face post-installation. Stakeholder consultations and surveys will continue to be conducted at appropriate intervals to ensure the project impacts are being monitored and corrective measure are undertaken if needed.

Source: Namgyal (2022).

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Table 3.

Case Study 3: Enhancing Food Sufficiency and Food Security.

Project	Enhancing Food Sufficiency and Food Security.
Project leader	LobzangDorji, Dzongdag (Governor), Dzongkhag Administration, Sarpang District, Royal Government of Bhutan.
Organisation	Sarpang Dzongkhag (District).
Stakeholders	Principal stakeholders include the citizens of Sarpang District, farmers in the communities and local government functionaries. To represent each stakeholder, the project team included the Chief District Education Officer, Principal Procurement Officer, District Livestock Officer, District Agriculture Officer, District Planning Officer and the District Finance Officer. These officers were involved from the beginning as core team members and stakeholders and formed an important part of this team as they simultaneously shouldered various professional responsibilities.
Improvement opportunity	Located in the subtropical southcentral part of Bhutan, Sarpang district is home to 49,438 people from 10,388 households spread across 12 gewogs. Even though the source of livelihood is farming for more than 62% of the people, the district arable land is limited to 12%, while 88% is under forest cover. The administrative record maintained by Dzongkhag Agriculture Office reveals that 3,000 acres of land was fallow in 2017, putting the food production at stake. Additionally, the Dzongkhag’s Food Self-Sufficiency Assessment 2020 found out that the Dzongkhag is import-dependent as only 47.76% of the households have cereal grains (maize, buckwheat, paddy, millet and pulses) sufficient up to three months. When the Sarpang Dzongkhag NLP team conducted surveys and interviews with various stakeholders, more than 50% indicated that there was a need to improve food sufficiency and nutrition security for this Dzongkhag. The compelling need to focus on food production was also evident from the fact that the average cereal import during the pandemic since March 2020 was between 4,500MT and 6,000MT per month in the district despite Sarpang’s vast plain of land suitable for farm mechanisation and favourable climatic conditions for food production. Furthermore, there is significant economic potential for farmers to increase income from chilli cultivation as it can be produced in winter seasons when other Dzongkhags depend on imports. However, food production is currently impeded by fallow land, small terraces, inability of farmers to sell their surplus products, high labour intensity, lack of equipment and lack of education.
Project results statement	Enhance food sufficiency and food security by facilitating farm mechanisation through land consolidation and development.
Solution to test	Launch a Dzongkhag-wide program to consolidate and develop land, encourage use of fallow land, encourage consumption of local products while discouraging imports and strengthen agriculture-oriented education offerings in the School of Agriculture. While specific indicators of the project were limited so that the scope of the pilot was clear and achievable within four months, this pilot program links with the overall national objective of poverty eradication, food sufficiency, nutrition security and economic productivity and diversity.
Project theory of change	If we engage in facilitation of farm mechanisation through land development and consolidation, encourage the use of fallow land, discourage dependency on imports through input supplies and marketing strategies; and school agriculture program activities… Then we will accomplish maximisation of land use, and realise enhanced food sufficiency and nutrition security, which are linked to five-year plan key performance indicators: (i) enhanced paddy production and (ii) enhanced chili production, and ultimately contribute to the enhancement of economic diversity and productivity, food sufficiency and security and eradication of poverty in Bhutan… Because our stakeholders will be able to understand the importance of facilitating farm mechanisation mainly through terrace consolidation and removal of stones, which makes farming easier, and the land development and consolidation will encourage famers opt for mechanisation over labour-intensive practices.
Project initiatives and action	In order to derive desired outcomes and outputs, responsibilities were assigned to the Sarpang NLP team members. Specifically, as the outcomes and the outputs were agriculture-focused, the District Agriculture Officer was directly tasked to spearhead implementing the activities while the Chief Education Officer was responsible for strengthening school agriculture programs. Other NLP team members provided other necessary support besides taking up their roles in monitoring the financial and technical aspects of the results framework. The following initiatives were taken to derive outputs and outcomes for the project: Land consolidation and development: As most of the farming land are stone-filled and wetland terraces small making it impossible for farm mechanisation, initiatives for land consolidation and development were taken. This initiative was aimed at encouraging farmers to use power tillers to till the land. In total, 180 acres of land were developed, and 182 acres consolidated. Encourage using fallow land: Farmer awareness campaigns were implemented to increase understanding at different levels (first at local government functionary levels and then at chiwog levels) and inspire farmers to retake fallow land for farming and realise that the Dzongkhag would facilitate marketing their products. Discourage imports and encourage consuming local products: Local product consumption was encouraged as community members were taught that local products are organic and healthy while contents of the imported goods can be questionable. They were also informed that purchasing local Dzongkhag products created local economic opportunities. Additionally, input supplies such as seeds and seedlings were provided. School agriculture programs: The Chief Education Officer ensured that the school agriculture programs were strengthened in all schools where the students were taught farming skills using modern technologies.
Metrics and results	During the project, 180 acres of land were developed and 182 acres of paddy fields were consolidated. The product marketing strategy and action plan were also operationalised. These initiatives appear to have motivated farmers, in that paddy production increased by 32% and chilli production by 328% as compared to the 2017 production data for both commodities, with chilli production far surpassing the five-year plan target of 94.22 MT. While the Dzongkhag has much work to do to achieve its ambitious target of reducing the fallow land to 200 acres from 3,000 acres in 2017, the pilot project results are promising and provide a blueprint for ongoing initiatives in the coming years. Comparative stakeholder satisfaction increased 14.3%, with the increase attributed to enhanced knowledge and skills as well as overall productivity which resulted in enhanced coordination, stakeholder involvement and simplification of complex issues. The survey also revealed that all stakeholders agreed that the situation improved during the pilot project, with 53.85% of the stakeholders indicating ‘strong improvement’. Land was successfully consolidated and developed, the product marketing action plan was implemented and farmers are now selling surplus products.
Next steps	Farm mechanisation shall continue to receive the top priority focus, with terrace consolidation and land development encouraged to facilitate farm mechanisation in the face of labour shortages. Similarly, strategies to use fallow land shall be developed while the priority for water supply systems will go hand in hand. Meanwhile, the production-oriented initiatives shall be complemented by market-oriented initiatives by ensuring post-harvest management, value chain management and supply chain management system with a sustainability goal to enhance the production of agricultural products while motivating farmers.

Source: Dorji (2022).

Each leader learned performance coaching skills and built high-performing ‘five-star teams’. Leaders were also given a practical leadership toolkit deployed via microlearning e-modules, with tools supporting performance accountability, strategic sensing, decision-making, trust, agile problem-solving, collaboration and change management. Leaders reported a 74% increase in their stakeholder engagement capability, a 90% improvement in their coaching skills and increases of 94% in high-impact team building, 108% in collaboration, 98% in agile problem solving, 85% in performance accountability and a 97% increase in change management capability (RCSC, 2022).

Throughout the program, as leaders learned and practised critical leadership skills, they also collectively completed 125 projects with results ranging from better waste management practices to improved health outcomes to accelerated academic performance for secondary students. 98.6% of 3,000+ stakeholders surveyed at the end of the program agreed that project efforts improved the situation, and stakeholder satisfaction increased by an average of over 28%. Meanwhile, 96% of participants indicated that the program was ‘more effective than other leadership training programs they have attended’, and several leaders expressed gratitude and said, ‘this program changed my life’. Indeed, although the trek towards enlightened human capability development and deployment is long and deliberate, the NLP program provided civil service systems and leaders with a powerful boost. By engaging in this leadership development experience, Bhutan has developed human capability (RCSC, 2022).

Why Human Capital Matters in Today’s World

Each country has multiple resources that create the nation’s future. Natural resources are minerals in the ground, global resources include country location and geographic resources include lakes, rivers and land. These non-renewable resources are often finite and need to be managed carefully to be sustained. Above the ground, a nation also has human resources that include the knowledge, skills and attitudes of its citizens. These resources are renewable in that they can grow through wise investment and transformation. They are characterised by a service and knowledge economy (Ulrich & Allen, 2014; Yeung & Ulrich, 2019).

Any organisation’s success (government agency, education institution, business enterprise) requires strategic clarity (mission, vision, goals) (Parnell, 2010), access to financial resources to invest (Beck & Demirgüç-Kunt, 2008) and operational excellence through technology and systems (Luz Tortorella et al., 2022). Realising strategy, financial and operational success requires people, organisation and leadership (Ulrich et al., 2017). When an organisation faces change, its people need to adapt to be successful (Ulrich & Yeung, 2019). Like a nation’s citizens, an organisation’s people can learn and grow (Bezuijen et al., 2010).

Leaders in government organisations or agencies (ministries, healthcare, education) can model how to care for people in a changing world (Bass et al., 1987). When government organisations model transformation, the government will fulfil its stewardship to its citizens, agencies will better deliver on their goals and firms will become more successful.

What Human Capability Means

As depicted in Figure 1, the management of people and organisations includes a host of initiatives that can be organised into four domains called human capability:

Talent: Talent refers to people, employees, workforce and individual competencies (Ulrich & Smallwood, 2012a).

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Human Capability.

Transformation comes from targeted initiatives such as Bhutan’s NLP that impact each of the four domains (talent + organisation + leadership + HR) and focus on creating value for others (Ulrich, 2020).

Underlying ‘Brand’ or Identity

A nation, organisation or individual has a ‘brand’, or what they are known for that creates value for others who interact with them (Maurya & Mishra, 2012). A nation’s brand defines how citizens and guests think about the nation (e.g., Singapore’s service, Japan’s quality) (Fan, 2006), customers and investors perceive an organisation’s strength (e.g., Apple’s innovation, Huawei’s technological information) (Zhang, 2015), or how an individual is known (learner, caregiver) (Harris & Rae, 2011). Bhutan leaders have captured their emerging national brand as ‘believe’ (UNWTO, 2022).

Believe reflects meaning, purpose and what matters most.

When government transformation embodies the emerging brand of ‘believe’, three outcomes follow:

Efficacy: I (we) can achieve my (our) goals to make a difference in the world.

These three outcomes are the sustainable hope that ‘believe’ will create from your Bhutan’s government transformation.

Bhutan’s Transformation to ‘Believe’

In transforming Bhutan’s government service to align with the believe brand, each ministry and department has engaged in transformation projects and leaders of each initiative have learned and leveraged leadership tools that they can now continue to use to sustain the believe brand. By leveraging these tools, civil service systems transformed and leaders gained a common language that aligns with accountability, empowerment and an intense focus on identifying and exceeding stakeholder expectations. To facilitate said transformation, the NLP leadership program included a practical toolkit with the following tools:

Teams (Five-Star Teams): Build and empower high-performing teams with results, roles, rules, relationships and renewal.

By learning these practical management tools and practising them in real project work, Bhutan leaders are now more able to embody the believe national brand by helping individuals realise their potential, organisations achieve their goals and leaders make a difference.

Importance and Challenge of Sustainability

Transformative sustainability is not an isolated event, management practice or program (Kuhlman & Farrington, 2010). Transformation needs to and can be sustained when ideas and practices have a lasting impact. Just like Bhutan’s physical resources can be sustained through thoughtful attention, human capability transformation can be sustained through practising key principles. Throughout the year-long NLP, Bhutanese leaders learned the following principles that embody what leaders can do to sustain transformation (Ulrich & Smallwood, 2013).

Alignment: Ensure that transformation initiatives link to the emerging Bhutan brand of ‘believe’.

Recommendations

Although Bhutan’s culture, challenges and opportunities are unique, the scalable principles and practices learned and demonstrated in the NLP can be applied in many organisations and spheres. The approach outlined herein accelerates and scales leadership development while simultaneously sustainably exceeding stakeholder expectations. Specifically, organisations can build human capability and a strong organisational brand by leveraging the following elements in their talent development initiatives: constant community engagement, scalable project execution, insights grounded in global research, leader-led train-the-trainer approach, team-based learning, high fidelity customisation, peer performance coaching, practical change tools, microlearning, gamification, virtual synchronous expert-led learning, on-demand learning libraries, linked measurement and evaluation, and incentives that drive real results. We call on executives to set the example as leadership development facilitators and to empower mid-level leaders as facilitators of ongoing development activities. Furthermore, we advocate that human resources, talent and leadership development professionals avoid investing in development programs and training courses that are isolated from the real work and the stakeholders their organisations serve.

Conclusion

Bhutan has been the innovator in focusing nationally on the well-being of all living things within its borders (including human happiness and environmental sustainability) (Banerjee & Bandopadhyay, 2016; Kinga, 2019; Lepeley, 2017; Rose, 2017; Thinley et al., 2017). Now, to respond to external challenges, Bhutan continues to lead as a human capability incubator by transforming talent + organisation + leadership + HR into a shared and sustained brand of believe. Bhutan government leaders can continue to be universally respected for their commitment to creating a better future and have provided a practical pattern for accelerating sustainability in mission-driven organisations around the world.