Accountability Of Public Administration : An Era Of Government Reform Essay

Philips brings to light that once you lose the confidence of others you can never regain their trust. Bruce Avolio (2005) in his book Leadership Development in the Balance backs this principal by the statement, “There is no doubt that the bar has shifted upward in terms of what is required of leaders to build trust, as well as the impact their mistake has on our trust in them” (pg. 124). Both writers are calling our attention to the fact that we need leaders of integrity in their public leadership as well as their private lives. This life of integrity inspires trust, honesty, and loyalty in those that follow this type of leader.

Thus, as public figures play a role as representatives of the society, they should be accountable for their actions, even those undertaken in private, as it is only fair to the public, whom they represent. Even though it is often argued that there is no need for public figures to account for their private activities as long as they perform in their jobs, what they do in private inevitably matters as it would not only create a lasting impact on the society, but also when it breaks the law. Performance at work does not exempt anyone from obeying the laws of the land, and public figures still have to account for their actions without shrinking from the responsibility. This is especially true with the high corruption cases involving national leaders such as former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Taiwanʼs former President Chan Shui Bian prove. Despite their positions as high profile public figures, their actions in private still calls for state punishment, forcing them to account for such undesirable actions. To ensure that the public upkeeps the confidence towards the court, believing in its impartiality and justice, public figures have to account for their private actions, especially illegal ones, regardless of how well they excel in

Cooper, T. L. (2012). The responsible administrator: An approach to ethics for the administrative role (6th ed.). New York, NY: Jossey-Bass.

In NI and ROI the term accountability has been a matter for debate but Ontario’s non-judgemental culture has been a success and as a result has broken down a trust barrier and provided room for camaraderie and collegiality’. This was created by forming top-down and bottom-up partnerships and staff seeing principals and senior leaders as co-learners rather than facilitators. Fullan states “when peers interact with purpose, they provide their own built-in accountability”. (Fullan, 2008,

Patterson et al. (2013) describe a number of circumstances from their research, where they us a disconnect, between how people would address an individual who fails to meet expectations or live up to perceived norms of conduct, versus the reality of how they actually respond to similar circumstances in real life. While many of the examples utilized in the introduction of their book are products of designed social experimentation, I believe that Patterson et al (2013), point to an ongoing problem which renders leaders ineffective in the long run. This problem is the failure to hold people accountable and to address deviations from expected norms in the moment, rather than waiting for an issue to blow up.

To counteract this affliction, public administration must become the focal point of good managers and leaders that embraces a centralized methodology, works unilaterally, and is empathetic towards societal norms. Furthermore, to prevent nuances during process considerations must conceptualize relational structures that improve productivity while advancing constitutional morals and ethics. (Cropf, 2008, p. 233). Unfortunately, in the case of bookkeeper turned director, she allowed her moral compass to misdirect her by not following council expectations as defined in her interim duties. Reality many times drives behavior, in this case it resulted in Suzie’s conflicting apathy towards the shelter that placed it over the established execution of her duties ultimately resulting in her actions while being considered “compassionate,” in the end were declared “unethical” (Cropf, Giancola, & Loutzenhiser, The Public Adminstration Casebook, 2012, p.

No matter what profession is there are always a few who do not tend to their job in the appropriate manner. However, few positions have authority over the general public. It is important to make sure that any person who holds a position of authority in the American government has a great character. Good Ethics are a great foundation for this concept.

I agree with the author that any public official must have good moral and ethical standards so that he can work for the betterment of the people entrusted in his care, however it would be naïve to assume that he would never have to sacrifice on the ethical front for the “greater good.”

Smith, you must promote ethical behavior based on the unified ethic system. You must first seek to understand the unified ethic system and then provide training for all employees regarding the system. This will enable them to learn that the unified ethic allows one moral structure to be applied across all situations encountered in either the private or public sector. Your experience gained from the private sector will aid you in understanding and relating the compatibility of private and public morality under this system. This is important to note as you transition to public service. Geuras and Garofalo (2011) state, “...one morality is applicable in both public and private affairs. The apparent difference is not in the moral systems, but in the additional factors that a public official must consider by virtue of the responsibilities of public service” (p. 241). Application of one moral system will be key in unifying the ethical decision making process within the city’s

Organizations, including the one I work for, often talk about employees needing to be accountable and responsible for their actions. However, Dr. Stephan’s definition of accountability as, “Being judged and measured on whether you are meeting some standard of performance,” is a powerful one and brings to light the flaws of simply using accountability in isolation to influence change within an organization. Influencing individual behavior is complex, and the Triangle model and the linkages provide a framework for understanding and inciting change within an organization and in turn ensuring that employees have “felt responsibility.”

Public administrators have a greater than responsibility than most, as their actions have consequences that may affect the general public. I would suggest that the primary ethical values public administrators should possess are respect, trustworthiness, and fairness. Public administrators are charged with implementing policies and practices, as decided through the democratic process. They are charged with a tremendous responsibility of being the operational wing of government.

Accountability is the commitment to answer to a constituent, superior, or customer for one’s performance, primary by reporting and/or justifying procedures and results (Firestone & Shipps, 2005). Implicitly, the power of any accountability demand is thought to determine which expectations are attended to. “Accountability imposes six demands on officials or their agents for government or public service organizations, including college and universities. First, they must demonstrate that they have used their powers properly. Second, they have to show that they are working to achieve the mission or priorities set for their office or organization. Third, they must report on their performance. Fourth, they must account for the resources they use and the outcomes they create. Fifth, they have to ensure the quality of the programs and services produced. Finally, they must show that they serve public needs.” (Burke, p.2). How to effectively cope with multiple conflicting accountabilities can be a problem for educational leaders. The coherence that some analysts have

Select one example or issue from the public sectors of a major public policy. Explore in essay how that current policy problem in government is relevant to and then undercuts the quality of public service and the operation of key regime values and political character traits

When the word Public Administration come accross one’s mind, people would think of government civil workers and bureaucracy in government office. However, Public Administration is wider than that. It comprises of many part among them are technical issues,financal issues and ethical issues.Among many of them is the importance of manegerial technique, a characteristic where an organization such as government office should have in order to organize, planned, co-ordinate and budgetting. Government office is a big