Ethics

Human Resource Management in Public Service

Paradoxes, Processes, and Problems

Eduard, M. N. (2009). PUBLIC SECTOR ETHICS. Young Economists Journal / Revista Tinerilor Economist, 727-30.

The author claims that Ethics requires a set of decision tools to assist strategies of authority and conflict resolution between groups, etc.

The author gives these objectives for a code of ethics: “1. promotion of values of ethical principles, 2. creating an appropriate ethical climate of the professional activity, in line with the goals and missions of the institution, 3. preventing and resolving ethical conflicts, 4. discouraging unethical practices, punishing deviations from values” (p. 28). The author concludes by claiming that regardless of the political system in place there is common focus on good conduct or correct conduct across ethical codes.

Svara, J. H. (2012). Macro-Ethics in the Code of the Pan-Generalist American Society for Public Administration. Public Integrity, 14(3), 229.

TOMESCU, M., & POPESCU, M. A. (2013). ETHICS AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR. Contemporary Readings In Law & Social Justice, 5(2), 201-206.

The authors discuss how internal and external forces affect organizational ethical climate and individual ethical positions. Meaning, organizational norms shape individual viewpoints.

they also discusses which standards ethical guidelines should follow in the public sector.

theyaq suggests moral-intensity based ethical guidelines are best for service organization.

The authors conclude their argument by stating the need for a larger research agenda on ethical leadership in public administration.

This article discusses the role ethics plays in the development of the American Society for Public Administration as a professional association.

There has been lengthy debate and struggles regarding whether public administration can be defined as a profession or merely a field of diverse professionals. The article ultimately stresses the importance of the development of ethical standards in PA because ethical codes are a crucial feature of any recognized or aspiring profession

Managers are often squeezed from above and below when resolving ethical matters. Officials are expected to conform to the organization's stated values and ethical codes. At a minimum, they must communicate the organization's policies and codes to employees. . Such policies or codes should be brief, clear and provide practical guidance to help managers and employees deal with problems.

However, ethics management strategies are typically underdeveloped in local government.

Most jurisdictions have no ethical training programs.

(pg. 33)

"Ethics Triangle" decision making tool

considers the following:

1. expected results of action

2. application of rules

(These view matters of right and wrong as a cognitive function)

3. personal integrity or character

(moral perspective)

Ethics

I researched ethical training and ethics development within public organizations.

It is crucial for an organization to have an ethical code. It is even more important for public organizations to have an ethical code of conduct. Without ethical code adherence we see things such as the spoils system and patronage.

The Pendleton Act of 1883 is the first piece of legislation that tries to remedy civil service.

Overtime, we see more ethical codes evolve and more enforcement of ethical codes and penalties for ethics violations. Much of my research is concerned with components that helped evolve these ethical guidelines.

Stephan K. Bailey. (1964). Ethics and the Public Service. Public Administration Review 24(4): 234-243.

Woller, G., & Patterson, K. (1997). Public Administration Ethics - A Postmodern Perspective. The American Behavioral Scientist, (41).

- The author believes that personal ethics in public administration are composed of mental attitudes and moral qualities.

- There are three essential mental attitudes: (1) a recognition of the moral ambiguity of all men and of all public policies; (2) a recognition of the forces that condition moral priorities in the public service; and (3) a recognition of the paradoxes of procedures

- The mandatory moral qualities of an ethical servant, according to Bailey, are 1) Optimism, 2) Courage, 3) Fairness tempered by charity

- He claims that these mental attitudes and moral qualities pertain to all public servants at every level and branch in government. “They are the generic attitudes and qualities without which big democracy cannot meaningfully survive”

Beeri, I., Dayan, R., Vigoda-Gadot, E., & Werner, S. (2013). Advancing Ethics in Public Organizations: The Impact of an Ethics Program on Employees' Perceptions and Behaviors in a Regional Council. Journal Of Business Ethics, 112(1), 59-78. doi:10.1007/s10551-012-1232-7

This article contains a longitudinal study of 107 employees on the relationship between ethics and performance

Researchers tested the effects of an ethics program on employees’ perceptions “(awareness of the code of ethics, ethical leadership, inclusion of employees in ethical decision making, ethical climate, organizational commitment, and quality of work like and behavior)” (p. 59).

The results show that the ethics program was successful and effected all of the above components positively. The authors state that “ethics programs strengthen ethics resources where they already exist, and help develop them where they do no, thereby improving the organization’s Ethical code” (p. 65).

The goal of ethics programs is to either develop ethics or make employees aware of ethics via group and individual ethics training. Ethics training can and does vary vastly across organizations.

Johnson, B. J. (2014). CODES OF ETHICS, PUBLIC VALUES, AND WHAT PUBLIC SERVANTS OFFER THE BUREAUCRACY. International Journal Of Organization Theory & Behavior (Pracademics Press), 17(4), 459-496

- This article considers some of the ethical frameworks in public administration theory.

- The authors examine frameworks they believe have greatly shaped today’s ethical guidelines in public administration:

Two traditional ethical frameworks: 1) Bureaucratic, 2) Democratic

- The bureaucratic framework emphasizes efficiency, expertise and accountability

- The democratic framework seeks to replace the bureaucratic values with specific values embedded in democratic governance, which values then serve as guidelines for administrators (Woller & Patterson, 1997, p. 114). -

The authors argue that a third framework approach should be considered. They refer to this framework as the post-modern approach. This approach asks the question of being.

- It incorporates human behavior and environmental conditions when accounting for human activity, which is not seen in traditional approaches.

- The author examines five types of values that are expressed in the code of ethics from five professions. He looks at the five professions comparatively from the 1900’s to today. (city/county management, city planning, civil engineering, landscape architecture, and architecture).

-He finds that traditional values concerning public interest remain consistent throughout the years.

- While, public management values such as innovation are not quite as persistent.

Modern values appear across the professions in the form of human rights, environmental protection and sustainability

The values “all seek to be independent but also attentive to the public with common values related to: integrity, avoiding conflicts of interest, being competent and educated and exercising honest judgement while looking out for the public interest or general welfare” (Johnson, 2014, p. 476).