Standards watchdog issues report on how public sector leaders can maintain ethical organisational practices
A report from the Committee on Standards in Public Life has recommended that public sector leaders encourage a ‘speak up culture’, deliver training on ethical dilemmas and carefully choose new hires, in order to help maintain ethical organisational practices.
Alongside the publication of the report, 'Leading in Practice', Lord Evans, Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, has written to public sector leaders to prompt reflection and discussion on the importance of ethical leadership in the UK.
In his letter, Lord Evans asked twenty questions under six different topic areas designed to encourage public sector leaders to reflect on whether there is more to do to prompt their workforce to think about the Principles of Public Life, otherwise known as the 'Nolan Principles'.
The six subcategories were based on the chapters in its report.
Under the first chapter, the committee encourages organisations to regularly create opportunities to help their employees understand the relationship between the different values that they are expected to demonstrate.
Chapter two sets out how senior leaders set the tone for their organisation and have a responsibility to communicate how they expect their workforce to behave.
The report emphasises that leaders must invest in explaining what their organisation's values mean in practice. It also notes that leaders must exhibit their organisation's values regardless of the context and the pressure they may be under.
Additionally, the report says that leaders must be willing to address behaviour that is not consistent with the values of the organisation.
The report encourages a 'speak up' culture that provides platforms for employees to speak up and safeguards for those who choose to raise concerns. On this point, the report says: "Leadership in this area requires a proactive approach, creating a range of informal and formal opportunities to listen to employees, and an ongoing commitment to building a culture where people are encouraged to speak up and are comfortable doing so."
Training is also recommended in the report, specifically scenario-based training. Discussing ethical dilemmas increases ethical sensitivity and enhances decision-making skills, it notes. "We heard how organisations have created specific safe spaces to discuss ethical issues, including ethics committees, staff forums and counsellors," the report continues.
"Some organisations encourage the use of decision-making frameworks to support fair, just and transparent decisions. These provide prompts to guide employees when considering complex decisions."
The report also calls for stronger guidance to be developed on the focus that departmental boards should give to ethical issues. It goes on to call upon boards to concern themselves with how departments ensure that the Principles of Public Life and the Civil Service Code are understood, internalised and translated into behaviours and decisions.
Under the same chapter, the committee said it had heard how identifying and bringing together data into a single report can be instructive for assessing the culture of an organisation. "It can join the dots for a range of indicators, such as 'speak up' reports, high turnover of staff, high levels of sickness, unusual patterns of staff survey scores, and customer complaints numbers, allowing a board to identify where action is required," the report adds.
Lastly, the report states that leaders it spoke to "in a range of organisations" were clear that assessing the values of a potential candidate was an important aspect of the recruitment process.
It encourages public sector organisations to consider incorporating an assessment of how candidates' personal values align with the Nolan Principles within their recruitment and selection processes, particularly for senior leadership positions.
It says: "Ensuring that the values are assessed as part of the performance management process both incentivises behaviour that is aligned with the Principles and ensures that the commitment of leaders to high standards is reflected through into the decisions they make about the people they manage."
Adam Carey
