My Homies - Villagemates
Photo by Edouard (Visiting the home village: Sept 20, 2017)
When Workplace Bonds Undermine Accountability: A Reflection on Work Culture in Rwanda
In many Rwandan workplaces, the office is more than a place of employment—it is a shared life space. We share stories, advice, struggles, laughter, and sometimes even personal burdens. We build strong relationships. We learn to read each other’s emotions. Our culture emphasizes unity, care, and togetherness. When things are going well, this system feels powerful and human. But this same strength can quietly become a weakness. When Relationships Replace Responsibility Because of the bonds we create at work, small mistakes are often ignored or tolerated. Colleagues coach each other informally, cover for one another, or delay tough conversations in the name of harmony. Over time, this turns into a pattern—poor performance is normalized, and accountability weakens. This is not kindness; it is a leadership failure. True leadership is not about protecting comfort. It is about protecting standards. When individuals develop lazy attitudes or consistently underperform, but the team ke...
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