**6.1 Provision of effective ethics training**

Ethics training for public officials is one of the instruments for building integrity in state institutions and ensuring good quality public governance [3]. Ethics training is important for promoting and enhancing ethical decision making. Effective ethics training should indicate expected objectives that are to be achieved by the training. These objectives must specific and clear. Watts et al. [4] state that "effective ethics training programs are those that demonstrate empirical success so that their objectives are being met". There are two noteworthy components to this definition. The previous authors also indicated that 'there are many different types of compliance and ethics training programs with varying objectives'. Differences in objectives may stem from differences in organisational standards, populations, industries or geographic settings [4]. Public sector leaders and employees have to be able to distinguish between the good and the bad and do good. If one is to strengthen ethics and prevents corruption in the public sector, ethics training works as a good tool though it must be utilised with other tools, as it cannot alone be able to produce sustainable results.

## **6.2 Leading by example or role modelling**

Most people want to follow someone who has a strong sense of direction and follows a vision that identifies with them. Leading is not a simple task that one may think it is. People use the term without properly understanding the weight it carries. According to Cherry, 'to be a leader one needs to incorporate certain attitudes and practices into his or her life, not just improving the life but start to demonstrate the kind of behaviour that people would want to follow and imitate, and that would be leading by example'. A good leader's mark relies on his or her ability to 'walk the talk'. This means that a leader should guide other people's behaviour through his own behaviour instead of using words. Modelling an ethical behaviour will inspire others to do the same. No amount of training can totally lead to individuals behaving ethically in their position. Some behaviour is learned through observing others who display or conduct themselves in a particular manner. It is for this reason that the author of this chapter believes that leading by example or role modelling is one way of promoting ethical behaviour in the public sector. If South African public sector leaders behave in an ethical manner, the likely would is that their followers will follow suit. Manz and Sims among others recognise the importance of leading by example or role modelling as important in effective leadership (1980). In addressing corruption in the South African public sector, there is a need for leadership that leads by example and acts as role models of ethical behaviour.

### **6.3 Employee integrity testing**

OECD [5] indicates that 'for a state to function effectively, integrity in the public governance is most valuable, for ensuring public trust in the government and for creating conditions for sustainable social and economic development'. Integrity testing is a pre-employment test, which seeks to predict future misbehaviours in the workplace. An employer tries to minimise dishonesty in an organisation by administering integrity tests. This is the method commonly used in the private sector for pre-employment screenings. According to Transparency International [6], these test aim at assessing attitudes and experiences related to a person's honesty, trustworthiness, reliability and pro-social behaviour.

*Promoting Ethics in the South African Public Sector: One Block of a Puzzle towards Curbing… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108425*

#### **6.4 Reinforcing ethical behaviour**

Employees in this case have to know that there are consequences for every behaviour they display. There is negative and positive reinforcement. Identified by Skinner and colleagues, reinforcement theory of motivation indicates that every individual's behaviour is a function of its consequences. The theory gives attention to what happens to an individual when he or she behaves in a certain manner [7]. South Africa needs a public sector that commits to ensuring that there are consequences to every behaviour. For example, if an individual employee behaves in an ethical manner and is rewarded or even praised for it, the possibility is the continuity of that behaviour. In this instance, reinforcement occurs after the behaviour. With negative reinforcement for instance, if the manager wants subordinates to behave in an ethical manner, he can indicate that all employees who behave in an undesired manner will lose their bonus. For example, employees may behave in a desired manner likely because no one would want to lose a bonus. Reinforcement is undoubtedly an important variable in determining behaviour and can be used to great effect both in and outside the workplace [8].

#### **6.5 Provision of protective mechanism**

The South African public sector requires soundproof protective mechanisms for those who wish to report or make known any unethical behaviour in the workplace. The whistle blower protection Act aims among other things at providing adequate safeguards against victimisation of the person making a such complaint and reporting unethical conduct. Despite the availability of this legislation, employees and citizens who report crime and unethical conduct are still victimised and killed. In keeping with Whitton [9], 'in the interests of improving accountability and fostering the fight against corruption, some countries have passed laws to establish a right whereby a person may make a protected public interest disclosure of any suspected or actual corruption, misconduct or maladministration by a civil servant or public official'. He further states that the main task of 'whistleblower' protection provisions, such as this is to maintain a reasonable and workable balance between encouraging the desirable disclosure of official wrongdoing (by protecting those who make disclosures against acts of reprisal or revenge).

## **7. The role of leadership in promoting ethics**

Mihelič, Bogdan and Tekavčič define leadership as the ability of a follower to want to do the things and activities that the leader sets as goals (2010). Leaders should direct the follower in the direction that he or she wants the follower to go. Leaders have different leadership styles and this will depend on an individual leader's personality.

Kooskara [10] indicated that leadership is a holistic and value-laden process comprised of different activities that lead to learning, developing, influencing and changing the self and others. Integrity should be the core value that an ethical should uphold. It simply means that a leader should always choose and make the correct decision based on merit regardless of how popular the decision is. Kooskara also argues that ethics is about values and about values-based management, leadership is about a vision: having one and sharing one. Ethical leadership is a combination of

righteous goals and righteous behaviour, righteous ends and righteous means and righteous policy and righteous administration, taking a 'helicopter view' and developing followers (2012). Moreover, There are certain principles that leaders need to follow. It can be deduced that leadership should adopt ethical behaviour at personal and organisational placing integrity and doing right at the centre of it all. There are certain principles that leadership should follow and these are:

**Fairness –** Fair treatment is the most important force for effectiveness in the workplace. It creates harmonious relationships in the work environment. When treated fairly, employees will be encouraged to perform. With fairness, all subordinates will have confidence in their leaders, as there is a sense of equity among colleagues in an organisation. Leaders to earn respect of their subordinates should make fair and equitable decisions that are merit-based. Employees should not feel that the decisions made are unjust and unfair. This includes civil servants and public officials in general [9].

**Accountability –** This is the most important and key feature of good governance. Accountability cannot be separated from the person occupying a position of responsibility, nor of the context [11]. Every official in a position of accountability must take responsibility for his or her actions or inactions. Chapter 10, Section 195 (1) (f) of the constitution of the Republic of South Africa advocates for a public administration that is accountable. This means that those in the public sector should be accountable for their actions and inactions.

**Trust –** Trust in leadership is very important as those who look up to that leadership will have confidence in them. If a leader is trustworthy, then the follower will develop confidence towards that leader. South Africa needs trustworthy leadership that is committed to serving the community as against fulfilling their selfish needs.

**Honesty –** People expect honest leadership in running the affairs of the public. When led by dishonest people, the community develops mistrust and becomes hopeless. People lose faith in dishonest leadership and will not know whom to depend on or where to turn to.

**Equality –** Equality is one of the democratic and social value, which ensures that there is equal treatment in the workplace. South Africa is experiencing inequalities due to the imbalances that were created by the apartheid regime and it is important that those gaps must be closed. Equality is also important in ensuring that there is peace in the workplace. No employee should be discriminated against because of his or her race, gender, sexual preference, etc.

**Respect –** it is important for a leader to show respect to others. This enables other to see their value and their worth as individuals with uniqueness. A leader who respects will also be respected. Leaders need to acknowledge that their subordinates have opinions and views and they are also creative in their own right. As a result, they would be expecting their leaders to respect their individualism and independence. Employees should be given a chance to voice out their views and also be allowed to form a part of the decision-making processes.

**Integrity –** Integrity sustains the effectiveness and dignity of an organisation. It encompasses quite a number of other values, which include among others, honesty and trust. Leaders who promote integrity in their organisation build confidence in the community. It is without a doubt that employees that are led with integrity will uphold a high standard of professional ethics and a society that is served by ethical leadership will gain confidence in the leadership and the institution it runs. It is, therefore, very important that public sector leaders conduct themselves in an ethical manner and with integrity for the betterment of the society.

*Promoting Ethics in the South African Public Sector: One Block of a Puzzle towards Curbing… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108425*
