Leadership & administrative responsibility

1
 Ethics in Public Service
• The question of ethics is one that is linked with the
history of mankind.
• It deals with good or bad, right or wrong behaviour,
it evaluates conduct against some absolute criteria
and puts negative or positive values on it
(Hanekom, 1984:58).
• According to Guy (1990:06), ethics can be viewed
as the study of moral judgements and right and
wrong conduct. He views ethics as different from
law because it involves no formal sanctions.
2
• It is different from etiquette because it goes beyond
mere social convention.
• It is different from religion because it makes no
theological assumptions.
• It is different from aesthetics because it is aimed at
conduct and character rather than objects.
• It is different from prudence because it goes beyond
self-interests of others.
• Ethics is both a process of inquiry and code of
conduct. As a code of conduct, it is like an inner eye
that enables people to see the rightness or wrongness
of their actions (Guy, 1990:06).

3
• Ethics has to do with the actions of man and
therefore, it requires adjustments in the actions and
attitudes of the public manager in relation to his
colleagues and the public as well as in relation to
himself (Heynes 1986).
• Ethics is also thought of as the character or ethos of
an individual or a group the hierarchy of values
and norms which he/she or they identify for
him/herself or themselves against a prevailing
moral code
4
 Morality & ethics
• Morals or morality originate in social practices
while ethics, as a science, is a rational
endeavour
• Ethics, as a set of principles, give a rational
justification for behaviour. They define
individual and group priorities, and in the end,
they may arrive at a systematic body of moral
norms, as individual and group practices get
interwoven
5
• Morality is a very personal code of behavior that is
individually owned. Morality has fluidity based on
social and societal norms that change over time
• Morality is also greatly influenced by upbringing,
parents, other relatives of influence, religion, school
and geographic region.
• The most unique aspect of morality is that it is
owned solely by the individual. You own your moral
values.

6
 By contrast, ethics are a prescribed set of values that are
owned by an organization or company. That entity, your
employer, tells you what is ethical behavior and what is
not ethical behavior.
 Some organizations do a better job of clarity and
communication of these ethics than others but each
organization has ethical coding
 When discussing ethics, the word ‘prescribed’ becomes
an important characteristic
 Morality is owned by the individual and ethical standards
are owned by the organization and the two should not
mix.

7
Principles for Managing Ethics in the Public
Service
1. Ethical standards for public service should
be clear
 A concise, well-publicised statement of core
ethical standards and principles that guide
public service e.g code of ethics

8
2. Ethical standards should be reflected in the
legal framework

– legal framework is the basis for communicating the

– Laws & regulations to state the basic values of public

9
3. Ethical guidance should be available to
public servants
 Professional socialization should contribute to the
development of the necessary judgement and skills
 Training facilitates ethics awareness and can
develop essential skills for ethical analysis and
moral reasoning
 Guidance and internal consultation mechanisms

10
4. Public servants should know their rights
and obligations when exposing wrongdoing
 clear rules and procedures for officials to follow,
and a formal chain of responsibility. Public
servants also need to know what protection will be
available to them in cases of exposing
wrongdoing.

11
5. Political commitment to ethics should
reinforce the ethical conduct of public servants
– Political leaders are responsible for maintaining a high
standard of propriety in the discharge of their official
duties
– Their commitment is demonstrated by example and by
taking action that is only available at the political
level, for instance by creating legislative and
institutional arrangements that reinforce ethical
behavior and create sanctions against wrongdoing

12
6. The decision -making process should be
transparent and open to scrutiny
 The public has a right to know how public
institutions apply the power andresources entrusted
to them
 transparent and democratic processes, oversight
by the legislature and access to public information
 Independent media

13
7. There should be clear guidelines for
interaction between the public and private
sectors
 Clear rules defining ethical standards should guide
the behaviour of public servants in dealing with
the private sector, e.g. regarding public
procurement, outsourcing or public employment
conditions.

14
8. Managers should demonstrate and promote
ethical conduct
 Managers have an important role in this regard by
providing consistent leadership and serving as role
models in terms of ethics and conduct

15
9. Management policies, procedures and
practices should promote ethical conduct
 policies and practices should demonstrate an
organisation’s commitment to ethical standards
 Government policy should not only delineate the
minimal standards below which a government
official’s actions will not be tolerated, but also
clearly articulate a set of public service values that
employees should aspire to

16
10. Public service conditions and management
of human resources hould promote ethical
conduct
 career prospects, personal development, adequate
remuneration and human resource management
policies should create an environment conducive
to ethical behaviour
 Recruitment &promotion should operationalise
integrity

17
11. Adequate accountability mechanisms
should be in place within the public service
 Public servants should be accountable for their
actions to their superiors and,more broadly, to the
public
 Accountability should focus both on compliance
with rules and ethical principles and on
achievement of results

18
12. Appropriate procedures and sanctions
should exist to deal with misconduct
 Mechanisms for the detection and independent
investigation of wrongdoing such as corruption are
a necessary part of an ethics infrastructure e.g. in
Tanzania we have the PCCB

19
 Enforcement of Leadership ethics &
integrity in Tanzania
1. External enforcement
– Ombdusman: The Commission for
Human Rights and Good Governance
which combines the features of an
Ombudsman institution with those of a
National Human Rights Institution was
inaugurated in March 2002, headed by an
Appeal Court judge, to promote human
rights through civic education and to
investigate human rights violations

20
 Political enforcement e.g. Presure from voters
&opposition parties
 The media & public scrutiny
 NGOs, CSOs, CBOs
 International Organisations/multilaterals e.g. The
UN & its organisations, Transparency
International, Amnesty International, Human
Rights Watch etc.
 Parliament e.g. The PAC

21
 State institutions e. g- The CAG’s office,
PCCB etc.

22
 Internal enforcement
– Ethics Inspect ion Unit established in 1998 with
the purpose of promoting ethics in the Public
Service along with implementation of the code of
Ethics and Conduct for Public Service
– The Public Leaders Code of Ethics Act No. 13 of
1995
– Legislations e.g The Public Service Act No.8 of
2002 and its Regulations of 2003
– Various Codes of Professional Conduct e.g. For
Teachers, Doctors &Nurses, Engineers etc.
23
- Service charter s: A service charter is a short
publication that describes the service experience a
client can expect from an agency
• It allows for an open and transparent

approach that all parties understand and can

24
 • what the agency does;
• how to contact and communicate with the agency;
• the standard of service clients can expect;
• clients’ basic rights and responsibilities; and
• how to provide feedback or make a complaint
• A charter need not cover every function and service
an agency provides, or detail every aspect of service
delivery. Rather, it should focus on the key areas seen
as important by the agency’s clients, stakeholders and
staff. Essentially, it is a living document that must
evolve in line with changes to the agency and its
clients.

25