Theoretical principles of ethics in the management of human resources in the South African public sector

[摘要] English: The public sector is a sector characterised by its own value system. Values such asaccountability, transparency, efficiency, equity, to name but a few, have to be taken intoaccount by all those engaged in this sector. On the other hand, values are integral parts ofethics, thus necessitating that those engaged in the public sector should be well versed inethics. participatory decision making to take place. Leadership that reflects innovation andimagination, driven by a vision and experimentation should be encouraged. Thedevelopment of an ethics culture that goes beyond the confines of the institutions into thecommunity should be entertained. The introduction of aspects of ethics in relevant subjectsat tertiary should be looked into. Also suggested, are possible research projects that mayemanate from this research project.In this dissertation, the author argues that theoretical principles of ethics should form thebasis of all activities in human resource management in the public sector. Emphasis onhuman resource management is deliberate, since only human beings are capable of ethicalor unethical behaviour. Managers of human resources in the public sector should beadequately trained in ethics in order for them to train their subordinates, and thereby curbunethical behaviour. Theories are helpful in predicting and explaining phenomena, such aswhy people behave the way they do. Principles, on the other hand, serve as fundamentalbasis for reasoning or action. Both the teleological and deontological theories of ethics arediscussed in this dissertation. The two sub-types of teleological theory, that is, thedirective utiliterianism and the situational sub-type are discussed, and practical examplesprovided. Deontological theory pertains to values, and it is also discussed with examples.Human resource management activities, such as human resource provisioning, utilisation,motivation, and maintenance are discussed from an ethical point of view. The roles ofdifferent role players in human resource management are explained, and so too is thenecessity for ethics from each role player. Although no claim is made of being exhaustiveon values, some important ones in human resource management in the public sector arediscussed at length.The promotion of ethics is fundamental to the endeavour to curb unethical behaviour suchas corruption, fraud, maladministration and theft. Different ways for the promotion ofethics in human resource management are suggested in this dissertation. Among these,leadership and training are singled out as being particularly important, because leadersdetermine the culture, climate, and the direction of institutions. While acknowledging thattraining has always been undertaken in human resource management in the public sector,training in ethics requires a paradigm shift. New training methodologies, designed todevelop new attitudes and change old ones should be developed. Especially now that theSouth African Public Service is in a state of flux, it present an ideal opportunity fortraining in public service ethics.Suggestions for the promotion of ethics are dealt with in the last part of this dissertation.It is suggested, for example, that some form of enforcement mechanism for codes ofconduct be introduced to enhance effectiveness. The democratisation of public institutions,which tampers with their bureaucratic nature, should be speeded up in order forparticipatory decision making to take place. Leadership that reflects innovation andimagination, driven by a vision and experimentation should be encouraged. Thedevelopment of an ethics culture that goes beyond the confines of the institutions into thecommunity should be entertained. The introduction of aspects of ethics in relevant subjectsat tertiary should be looked into. Also suggested, are possible research projects that mayemanate from this research project.

[发布机构] University of the Free State