From Red Tape to Real Change: The Leadership Program Reshaping Cambodia

On a bright morning in 2021, a group of senior Cambodian officials are logging into their first session of the Leadership and Innovation Program (LIP). Some were skeptical. Another training program? Would this really be any different? They have seen reforms come and go.

For years, Cambodia’s public institutions have faced familiar challenges. Government departments operate in isolation, capacity for adaptive leadership is limited, and reform efforts often stall under the weight of bureaucratic inertia.

As the morning sessions unfold, something shifts within participants. They realize this program is offering something different from the standard textbook solutions they have seen before. It is about learning to lead through action, to break silos, and to test new ways of working across ministries and agencies.

This journey started in 2020 when the Ministry of Civil Service through the Royal School of Administration asked a simple question: What if government officials were given the space to experiment, collaborate, and apply leadership skills in real time?

With support from the Cambodia Governance Programmatic Advisory Services and Analytics and in collaboration with the World Bank’s Coalitions for Reforms (C4R) Global Program, the Ministry co-designed a program grounded in real governance challenges. A hands-on consultative workshop launched the curriculum, and when COVID-19 disrupted delivery, it quickly pivoted to a virtual format. Some worried engagement would drop. Instead, the program saw a remarkable 98% completion rate across six cohorts.

Between April 2021 and June 2024, over 1,000 senior Cambodian officials completed the LIP program, far exceeding the initial goal of 230. Globally, another 2,500 participants registered for two online courses: Leading the Vision and Strategy for Development Reform and Leading and Implementing Development Reform.

More than a course, the LIP program has been a mindset shift—officials are not just learning theories, they are focusing on practical tools such as adaptive leadership, communication, conflict management, Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA), and cross-sector collaboration. The Knowing, Doing, and Being framework reinforces leadership as a skill and a mindset.

So, what happened after the program? Did the lessons stick?

For many participants, the answer is a resounding yes. More than 89% of participants across all six cohorts reported that they have applied learned skills in their work. Some even reported they have applied the program’s principles in their personal lives.

Officials are applying their new skills in their departments, provinces, and ministries, breaking down bureaucratic walls by sharing experiences and co-developing solutions.

The impact is visible. At the Cambodia Ministry of Health, Minister Chheang Ra—an alum from the first cohort of the LIP program—now conducts site visits to health centers, engaging directly with frontline staff, and observing operations firsthand.

Every Tuesday, the ministry holds a problem-solving session using LIP tools and the PDIA approach to address challenges raised by local health officials. This new leadership style has improved responsiveness and morale and enabled faster decision making within the public health system. Trained LIP staff are now supporting the Ministry’s functional review process, which is part of a government wide effort to improve organizational efficiency.

Leading change from within

One key takeaway is the emphasis on local solutions. Instead of imposing a one-size-fits-all approach, participants test small changes, learn from failures, and iterate solutions using PDIA. It has built a sustainable leadership pipeline. Alumni have been trained as core trainers, allowing the Royal School of Administration to take full ownership of the program.

Since the fifth cohort, the school has been leading the program, with continued technical support from World Bank partners. All course materials have been translated into Khmer, ensuring accessibility and long-term integration into the governance ecosystem.

Cambodia’s experience offers a compelling case study for others: Reform is not just about new policies. It is about empowering people in the system by giving them the tools, networks, and confidence to implement these policies. And when people lead, real change follows.

What’s next?

The Cambodian government is expanding the program beyond senior officials. The next phase will include school principals and health facility directors, broadening its impact on education and healthcare delivery. An alumni network is also in the works to sustain peer learning and collaboration long after the program ends. The goal? Not just individual leadership development but a shift in how reforms are led and sustained across Cambodia.

Lessons learned from this Program and its spirit of leadership and collaboration are informing engagements across the world by the World Bank’s C4R Global Program. The C4R is planning to deploy this experience to help new partners navigate complex reforms and strengthen local capacities.

In May 2025, a virtual two-hour seminar summarizing the key messages of the LIP program was delivered to 3,700 health officials across Cambodia. Minister Chheang Ra is now actively seeking to embed its core principles and practices into the middle-management level of the Ministry of Health. More broadly, this kind of work is part of the evolving “Vision 2050” strategy of the Cambodian government, by which Cambodia seeks to become a high-income country by 2050.

Want to learn more?

Both the Leading the Vision and Strategy for Development Reform and Leading and Implementing Development Reform e-courses are publicly accessible via the World Bank’s Open Learning Campus.

If you are interested in learning more about the C4R tools or exchanging ideas, check out our previous blog post on the power of coalitions and collective action in building trust and achieving sustainable development, or feel free to reach out to our team at c4r@worldbank.org.