From Scepticism to Case Study: How NPP’s Teamwork Model Is Redefining Governance in Sri Lanka
ColomboWire | Political Analysis Series – Part Four
When President Anura Kumara Dissanayake secured a decisive victory at the presidential election in September 2024, scepticism followed swiftly. Critics—both domestic and international—raised familiar questions. Did the National People’s Power (NPP) possess sufficient governing experience? Were its leaders equipped with the administrative competence, linguistic ability, and diplomatic networks required to manage a modern state? Could a movement forged in opposition translate idealism into day-to-day governance?
Sixteen months later, those questions are being revisited—not in television studios or partisan columns, but in academic institutions in two Western capitals, where scholars are reportedly drafting a case study on the NPP government’s teamwork-based governing model. Colombo Wire has learned that preliminary material from this research highlights an unexpected but striking feature of the current administration: the deliberate dismantling of individualism and ego-driven governance in favour of a collective, collaborative executive culture.
The Early Doubts
The doubts surrounding the NPP’s rise were not entirely unfounded in conventional political terms. Unlike Sri Lanka’s traditional governing parties, the NPP leadership lacked long tenures in cabinet politics. Its senior figures were more closely associated with activism, academia, and policy critique than with ministerial portfolios.
Opposition figures questioned whether the new leadership understood the mechanics of bureaucracy, inter-ministerial coordination, or international diplomacy. Some critics suggested that idealism would quickly collapse under the weight of administrative reality.
What appears to have surprised observers, however, is that the NPP did not attempt to replicate the personality-driven governance models of the past. Instead, it pursued something far less visible but far more structural: a systematised culture of teamwork.
A Presidency Without Personalisation
According to material reviewed by Colombo Wire, one of the most striking features of the NPP government is the absence of hyper-personalisation of power. From the President’s Secretariat down to junior ministries, there is a conscious effort to avoid building governance around individual authority figures.
President Dissanayake’s Secretariat is described by observers as functioning less as a command centre and more as a coordination hub. Responsibilities are delegated with clarity, and ministries are expected to operate not as silos but as interconnected components of a single administrative system.
This approach, academics note, contrasts sharply with previous governments where ministries often pursued parallel or even conflicting initiatives, resulting in duplicated expenditure, delayed execution, and bureaucratic paralysis.
Restoring Inter-Ministerial Collaboration
For decades, Sri Lanka’s public administration suffered from fragmentation. Ministries operated independently, departments duplicated tasks unknowingly, and coordination occurred only during crises. Under the NPP government, that pattern appears to have been deliberately dismantled.
From the Labour Ministry to the Foreign Ministry, from Fisheries to Disaster Management, administrative processes now require consultation, shared data, and cross-ministerial awareness. Decisions taken by one department are communicated horizontally, ensuring that execution elsewhere aligns with broader government objectives.
This interconnected model has had a direct fiscal impact. By eliminating duplicate projects and overlapping mandates, the government has reduced wasteful expenditure—an outcome that international observers increasingly view as a rare success in post-crisis governance environments.
Teamwork in Practice: The Disaster Response Test
Perhaps the most visible validation of the NPP’s teamwork-based governance came during the Ditwa cyclone and subsequent flooding. Natural disasters have historically exposed weaknesses in Sri Lanka’s administrative coordination, with delayed responses and unclear chains of command.
This time, however, departments moved rapidly and collectively. Relief operations saw seamless coordination between the President’s Secretariat, line ministries, district administrations, and emergency services. Resources were mobilised without bureaucratic delay, and information flowed efficiently across institutional boundaries.
According to analysts reviewing the case, the success was not accidental. It was the result of pre-existing teamwork structures, not ad-hoc crisis management.
From Civil Service to Political Leadership
Another dimension highlighted in the emerging academic case study is the renewed role of the civil service as an integrated partner, rather than a subordinate or politicised apparatus. Secretaries to ministries, departmental heads, and senior administrators now operate within a framework that values collaboration and professional autonomy.
Junior ministers, rather than competing for visibility, are reportedly encouraged to support collective outcomes. This cultural shift—from competition to cooperation—has reshaped how policy is formulated and executed.
People Participation as an Extension of Teamwork
Beyond internal government coordination, the NPP has extended its teamwork philosophy outward through a People Participation model. In this framework, the government is not the sole decision-maker but a partner among stakeholders, including professionals, trade unions, civil society, and ethical private-sector actors.
Academics note that this participatory approach enhances accountability and transparency, as policy outcomes are continuously evaluated by those affected by them. Governance becomes results-driven rather than announcement-driven.
Value for Every Taxpayer Rupee
Perhaps the most politically significant outcome of this teamwork-based governing model is its fiscal implication. By reducing duplication, improving coordination, and accelerating execution, the NPP government has moved closer to what previous administrations promised but rarely delivered: value for every taxpayer rupee.
Millions once spent on redundant committees, overlapping projects, and prolonged decision-making processes are now being redirected toward execution and service delivery.
From Experiment to Exportable Model?
While the case study remains ongoing, early assessments suggest that Sri Lanka’s NPP government may offer an exportable governance lesson for post-crisis democracies: that competence need not arise from individual dominance, but from structured teamwork.
What began as scepticism has evolved into curiosity—and now, academic interest. Whether this model is sustained over time remains to be seen. But for now, the NPP government’s collective governing approach stands as one of the most unexpected political developments in Sri Lanka’s recent history.