Western democracies are seeing more evidence of growing mistrust in politics as the people they elect to run the country too often fail to provide value for the hard-earned money they pay in taxes.
Integrity in public service must be increasingly scrutinised to prevent any further disconnect between those who manage public administration and those who finance it. The integrity of the public service is one of the key drivers of public trust in government institutions.
Integrity is a broad concept, especially in the public service sector. The public service that includes elected central and local politicians and non-elected civil servants delivers vital community services and shapes policies that affect the lives of all people.
Ordinary people need to trust that public servants use the power of their role and the state’s resources in the public interest. If this is not done, we risk eroding trust, which will ultimately undermine public administration as an effective democratic institution.
Integrity is more than just doing things legally. It is often defined as “doing the right thing at the right time to deliver the best outcomes for the people”. Government lawyers can play an essential role in ensuring public service officials can lawfully implement the government’s policies.
However, not even the best laws ever define the maximum standards of behaviour required by those managing public finances. Legality is only the minimum standard expected of politicians and public servants. More work is needed to ensure that those in the public service not only uphold their obligations but are empowered to model the highest ethical standards of behaviour.
Most European democracies, especially those on the Mediterranean border, must promote a pro-integrity culture to serve their communities effectively and bridge the growing gap of mistrust in politics. A pro-integrity culture focuses on ethical leadership and rewarding the behaviours needed to serve the community. Leaders set the cultural tone for the country through their behaviours.
Politicians in government must appoint public service leaders who ‘walk the talk’ on ethical values and respectful relationships. Appointing leaders who achieve results through enabling others is crucial to building a high-performing service. Greater visibility of upward feedback will bring attention to people who lead with integrity and indicate where behavioural ‘red flags’ may exist.
Politicians in government must appoint public service leaders who ‘walk the talk’ on ethical values and respectful relationships
The public service must have strong conduct and financial probity frameworks which need to be understood and enforced from the top down. Strict compliance processes are crucial, and leaders must adopt a positive attitude towards internal assurances and external oversight. Still, this is not enough.
Being overly focused on formal processes and rules risks overlooking the informal leadership-based efforts and communication that have an important impact on the ethical culture of organisations. Sadly, political parties too often promise open government when in opposition, only to abandon the idea once elected to govern.
When organisational cultures are based on fear and silence, integrity cannot thrive. If the political and non-political leaders of the public services are serious about preventing problems and abuse, they must provide the psychological safety necessary for staff to raise issues, ask questions and point out when lines are crossed, without the risk of negative consequences. This means empowering leaders to have the skills, behaviours and communication tools to build respect and trust.
Two critical reasons staff do not speak up are the fear of retribution and the perception that speaking up is futile. Integrity conversations need to become a part of the everyday conversations and work of teams in the public service.
Political masters responsible for specific public services must ensure that they are given candid advice that is evidence-based and solutions-focused but also untainted with partisan expediency considerations.
Every country will do well to conduct an integrity audit regularly to determine the extent to which integrity, transparency and accountability to prevent corruption, fraud and misconduct are hardwired in the way that the public services sector is managed. A strategic approach to governance is required to build an integrity framework greater than the sum of its parts.
There are three pillars that every organisation must build on to hardwire integrity in managing its affairs. These comprise a pro-integrity mindset of leadership, robust policy-making and regular oversight.
There is no need to reinvent the wheel. In every public service organisation, some valid people would bring about the necessary change if they were supported and empowered by their leaders.
What is more difficult is finding the political will to address the concerns of ordinary people who feel betrayed by their leaders.