THE ROLE OF ORGANISATIONAL ETHICS MANAGEMENT WITHIN THE SOUTH AFRICAN PUBLIC SERVICE

Abstract

There is a limited body of knowledge on the role of organisational ethics management, systems and mechanisms in promoting and driving ethics on strategic, system and operational levels. Public officials still have to be convinced of the importance of ethics within their organisations. Getting the ethics message across to large groups of employees in a cost-effective, yet powerful manner remains a challenge. An in-depth conceptualisation and contextualisation of ethics is required to strategise organisational ethics management in the public service. The article attempts to unlock the transdisciplinary relationship of philosophy and public administration to determine the significance of ethical reasoning in decisionmaking structures. Due to the advent of New Public Management (NPM), Public Administration faces a paradigmatic shift towards decentralisation and relativism that demands more accountability and responsibility. The article aims to explore the merits of philosophical tools and normative approaches to ensure ethical governance in the South African public service. The main research question to be addressed in this study is: “What is the role of organisational ethics management in promoting good public administration and what strategies are required to combat corruption and wrong-doing in the South African public service?” The purpose of the article is to identify elements of organisational ethics management to enhance an ethical administrative culture and promote sound public administration. The use of literature review, annual reports and official documents form part of the desktop conceptual and theoretical analysis. The article then offers suggestions for improvement.

Keywords

• corruption, ethics, organisational ethics, public service, good governance