Civil Service Inclusiveness for better leadership and system performance

…𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒍 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒂 𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒔, 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒅𝒈𝒆 𝒃𝒚 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒂 𝒘𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔

Sonam Deki

A government worker said, “I believe Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) is making every effort to retain the ideal candidate at the executive level. With this new reform, I believe a better result may be anticipated because the talent pool outside of the civil service will have the chance to compete for the executive position, which will lead to improved system performance.”

The RCSC has revised the Executive Selection Framework to expand the talent pool for leadership positions in the Civil Service vide notification number RCSC/LD-63/2022/3021 dated March 23.

The notification states that the RCSC will increase the level of involvement from senior representatives from the relevant agencies and domain clusters to ensure that the most suitable candidate is selected for the position. The RCSC will work more closely with senior representatives from the agencies and domain clusters to (a) develop the job descriptions, and (b) consider compensating factors for exceptional cases where a candidate may not fully meet the criteria. There will be greater representation from the agencies in the selection panel that may also involve independent members or experts.

One of the civil servants said, “A step in the right direction toward ensuring that the civil service is staffed with a varied and qualified workforce capable of fulfilling the shifting needs and demands of society is the expansion of the talent pool of civil service leaders. The civil service can gain from a larger diversity of viewpoints, skills, and knowledge by attracting and choosing applicants from a wider range of backgrounds and experiences.”

“By ensuring that appointments are decided on the basis of merit and qualifications rather than personal ties, the proposed reforms from the RCSC may also aid in addressing problems like nepotism and favoritism in the civil service. Overall, it appears that the RCSC’s recent reforms are a step in the right direction toward improving the civil service and making sure it is prepared to face the problems of the future,” he added.

Another civil servant said, “I can’t really picture it clearly. But, I believe that a reform like this, which only emphasizes talent expansion, can improve a person’s skill and capability if they have the desire to strive for perfection.”

The notification further states that Candidates from the specialist category and outside the civil service may be considered for Civil Service Executive positions. The selection process will involve assessing the candidates domain and leadership competencies. This may be done through assessments such as Situational Judgment Tests, group and individual interviews that look at the skills, experience, and qualifications required for each position.

A corporate Director said, “I think it’s a good move, and it should have happened long time back. This is an encouragement and great opportunity for everyone and will allow people to move across sectors”.

One of a private company’s Chief Executive Officers said, “I think it’s a terrific move to keep all the skills in one place, and I believe that doing so will inspire private workers to put in extra effort. Since it’s better to start these reforms now than never, there is no right or wrong time to do so.” Personally, I’m not interested right now but I’m confident that a lot of people would be and are qualified to work in the government service, she added.

“These reforms gives the stage for people who are talented,” said one of the corporate Junior Managing Directors.
The Handicraft Association of Bhutan’s Executive Director commented, “This is a solid change, and it can truly attract a talented individual. Earlier, it was fairly limited and only available to public servants, which is why their services were more focused on the government than on the private sector and corporations. It would make sense if they attempted to combine executives and directors from various industries.”

Similarly, one of the employees in private company said, “A lot of folks who previously failed the RCSC exam are now working professionally in their own private company. Private businesses that have recently opened and reached the success are visible, which demonstrates their exceptional talent and can significantly contribute to the nation’s progress.”

This notification has reference to the earlier notification dated November 9, 2022 which is amended as per the decision of 175th Commission meeting held on March 14, 2023. This amendment came with inclusion of expansion of the talent pool for civil service executives outside the domain of civil service.