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Full Length Research Paper
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Enhancing an ethical
culture through purpose -directed leadership for improved
public service delivery: A case for South Africa
Nirmala Dorasamy
Durban University of Technology South Africa. E-mail:
nirmala@dut.ac.za
Tel: 0722678704. Fax: 0865509932.
Accepted 1 December, 2009 |
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Abstract |
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The fundamental purpose of government departments is to
provide services to satisfy public needs. Public leaders have to
take on organisational roles to decide how to best achieve the
organisation’s purpose of meeting human needs and enhancing
human life. An ethical culture underpinning purpose-driven
leadership is viewed as an effective approach that will promote
the broader interests of society in respect of public service
delivery. This article focuses on the possible contribution of a
purpose-directed leadership approach within the South African
public service toward enhancing ethical behaviour which can
ultimately translate into improved public service delivery.
Attention is devoted to the capacity of such an approach in
creating a milieu of commitment toward service excellence, this
article argues that unethical behaviour in the public service
has impacted on the quality of service delivery in many
government departments in South Africa. A review of reports by
the Public Service Commission and the media suggest that quality
public service delivery has been affected by the lack of an
ethical culture within purpose directed leadership. Through a
detailed review of literature and documents relating to poor
public service delivery in South Africa, it has become
imperative to explore the effect of ethical and purpose-directed
leadership on public service delivery. This article further
argues that through ethical and purpose driven leadership, the
mission statement of the public service is not only communicated
to all concerned, but it is also clarified and understood and
becomes the driving force in delivering what is to be achieved,
without compromising the quality of public services. Performance
in support of the purpose can be the building blocks upon which
an ethical culture is developed throughout all government
departments. Public leaders must therefore use the
organisational purpose as a frame of reference for the execution
of all functions within the organisation so that public
satisfaction can be best achieved, without compromising ethical
behaviour. The public service needs to accord greater importance
and focus to leadership based on purpose-driven activities to
address some of the ethical issues affecting quality service
delivery. Some of the ethical issues include conflict of
interest, mismatch post appointments and lack of commitment to
quality service delivery. By adhering to the purpose, the
principles of public service delivery beyond personal
aspirations and ambitions are prioritised. The study is
contextualized through a general overview of the role of
leadership, within an ethical and purpose-directed framework, in
promoting quality services in the public sector.
Key words:
Ethics, leadership, public service |
