Trust and teamwork

The debate over the MaX system and the Bell Curve is no longer simply about performance rankings. It has evolved into something deeper: trust.

The Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) is right in one crucial aspect. Bhutan cannot return to a culture where almost everyone is rated “excellent” and accountability quietly disappears into paperwork. A modern civil service requires honest performance assessment, meaningful feedback, and consequences for both strong and weak performance. The public deserves a bureaucracy that delivers results, not one protected by automatic praise.

At the same time, the concerns raised in the National Assembly and by many civil servants are equally legitimate. A performance management system that is perceived as opaque or unfair will eventually lose moral authority, no matter how technically sophisticated it is. Once distrust enters the system, even deserving ratings become suspect.

The issue, therefore, is not whether accountability should exist. It must. The real issue is whether accountability is being exercised in a manner that builds teams or quietly breaks them apart.

Bhutan’s civil service culture has long depended on cooperation, mentorship, and collective effort. If officers begin viewing colleagues as competitors in a forced ranking exercise, then institutions may become internally fragmented. Innovation declines when officials fear punishment more than they value teamwork.

This is where the RCSC’s proposed reforms are important. Continuous feedback, coaching, mentoring, and Performance Improvement Plans are healthier than a once-a-year judgment exercise. Leadership accountability is also key. Supervisors must not simply rank people, but explain, guide, and develop them.

The proposed Administrative Tribunal could also become an important confidence-building mechanism. Even if only rarely used, an independent appeals process reassures civil servants that fairness exists beyond internal hierarchies.

Bhutan needs a civil service that is both compassionate and competent. Too much softness weakens accountability. Too much rigidity destroys morale.

The answer lies not in choosing one over the other, but in creating a culture where performance systems strengthen teamwork instead of breeding suspicion.

“The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.” — Ernest Hemingway