Royal Government of Bhutan: Enabling sustainable development and social well-being with Google Workspace
Bhutan boosted innovation and productivity, optimized resources, and enabled creative collaboration by deploying Google Workspace to all civil servants to improve quality of life in the Himalayan kingdom.
The Royal Government of Bhutan pursues the vision of "gross national happiness" that balances development with well-being and sustainability. The Himalayan nation of 735,553 people is carbon-negative, nurtures a rich cultural heritage, and has won global acclaim for wildlife conservation that protects habitats for endangered species.
Bhutan boosted innovation and productivity, optimized resources, and enabled creative collaboration by deploying Google Workspace to all civil servants to improve quality of life in the Himalayan kingdom.
Google Workspace Results
85% of civil servants say Google Workspace spurs innovation
• Boosts productivity and collaboration by more than 50%
• Streamlines workflows to meet sustainable development objectives
• Inspires civil servants to be creative and be digitally innovative, with easy-to-use tools
“Google Workspace collaboration tools are providing a framework that allows us to foster citizens’ happiness. It’s the three C’s: collaboration, coordination, and communication. This has improved significantly with Google Workspace adoption.” - Lobzang Jamtsho, Head of Application Division, Ministry of Information & Communication
For many nations, gross domestic product is the primary measure of a society’s success. The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan gauges achievement by a different standard: gross national happiness (GNH).
The Royal Government of Bhutan’s GNH index measures a "holistic and sustainable approach to development," prioritizing factors such as community, education, mental health, cultural heritage, and ecology. It’s a model that was endorsed by the U.N. General Assembly in 2011. Focus on GNH has enabled Bhutan to become a carbon-negative nation; nurture habitats for Bengal tigers, clouded leopards, and red pandas; and provide free healthcare to all of its 735,553 citizens.
One of the pillars of GNH in Bhutan, ranked South Asia’s least-corrupt country, is good governance. Yet as one of Asia’s least-developed nations, Bhutan needed to draw every last bit of value from public funds, while maximizing the potential of its civil servants. Turning to Google Workspace, it discovered powerful tools enabling communication, accountability, and cost-savings that have been vital to the mission of promoting a well-balanced society.
"Google Workspace collaboration tools are providing a framework that allows us to foster citizens’ happiness," says Lobzang Jamtsho, Head of Application Division, Ministry of Information & Communication. "It’s the three C’s: collaboration, coordination, and communication. This has improved significantly with Google Workspace adoption."
Freeing up resources for positive change
“When we started using Sites, we found a powerful yet simple tool that’s really a one-stop shop for sharing. You don’t have to know the development side; you just drag, drop, and build.” - Kuenga Zam, Dy. Chief ICT Officer, Royal Civil Service Commission
From wildlife conservation, to keeping hospitals well-supplied, to the development of human resources, ensuring a correct balance between well-being and development demanded smooth coordination in the civil service. Meanwhile, everything from the cost of printing meeting agendas to investing in email servers and staff to maintain them drained resources from vital tasks such as sourcing medication.
Google Workspace marked a fundamental shift in the way the Royal Government of Bhutan pursued its mission, as tools such as Docs, Sheets, and Sites came together to provide a unified platform where team contributions could be seamlessly integrated in the cloud. It sparked a surge of cooperative vigor.
"In writing, for example, we collaborate in terms of drafting a proposal. And we collaborate with other parties," says Lobzang. "It’s really helped us in terms of analyzing the decision-making process and promoting accountability, ownership, and transparency."
Google Workspace is used today by 9,500 civil servants across all 67 government agencies. The benefits have been dramatic. In a survey of more than 800 civil servants, roughly 78% of respondents reported Google Workspace boosted productivity by more than 50%. About 80% said collaboration with colleagues increased more than 50%. And 85% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, "my organization is more innovative."
“Google Workspace has empowered both education and hospitals. We have our entire education system on the platform, all teachers and students. And processes have improved in hospitals, translating directly into an increase of happiness among citizens.” - Lobzang Jamtsho, Head of Application Division, Ministry of Information & Communication
The Royal Civil Service Commission of the Royal Government of Bhutan organizes scholarships for civil servants to pursue long-term studies as a part of human resource development. It’s vital to the nation’s pursuit of sustainable development while preserving a unique cultural heritage.
Google Workspace inspired the Royal Civil Service Commission to build its own internal platform using Sites to manage scholarships, streamline processes, and boost overall HR Development Management.
"When we started using Sites, we found a powerful yet simple tool that’s really a one-stop shop for sharing," says Kuenga Zam, Dy. Chief ICT Officer, Royal Civil Service Commission. "You don’t have to know the development side; you just drag, drop, and build. And since it’s an internal site, it helps us share from one division to another what scholarships are available for renewal."
Human connectivity for enhancing quality of life
For the Royal Government of Bhutan, Google Workspace is a tool that doesn’t just facilitate better communication, it enables the whole of government to work better together. "Google Workspace has empowered both education and hospitals. We have our entire education system on the platform, all teachers and students," says Lobzang. "And processes have improved in hospitals, translating directly into an increase in happiness among citizens."
"When services are delivered better, people are happier," adds Kuenga. "So it aligns in that way with GNH."
Motivating team members to build a better future
Today, the Royal Government of Bhutan is writing the next chapter of its journey with Google Workspace, motivating civil servants to tap the platform’s creative possibilities through training programs that demonstrate why you don’t need to be an IT expert to be a digital innovator.
"We did a demo at a conference to show how we are using Sites. Our users then went forward and took that idea and built their own site," says Kuenga. "After we show the possibilities, they have the motivation to go forward and explore."
The next step for the Royal Government of Bhutan is to begin experimenting with Apps Script to create applications for automating workflow processes: "There's so much potential that we haven't explored," says Kuenga.
