Virtue-Based Leadership: A Proposed Approach within the Canadian Public Service

Abstract

Public institutions are the embodiment of Canadian representative democracy and the people and are required, at the very least, to render services to the public they are meant to represent. Upholding public confidence in federal institutions is the primary raison d’être of every ethics program in each Canadian public service department and agency (Canada, Treasury Board Secretariat 5). While this purpose is clearly consistent across the over 100 agencies and departments of the Canadian public service, the manner in which each institution goes about achieving this trust is anything but consistent. As seen in past scandals within federal organizations and crown corporations (Gian Ghomeshi at CBC, Liberal sponsorship scandal, to name a few), having a more consistent and firm commitment to ethical leadership will ensure public servants adhere to ethical principles set out within the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector (hereafter: The Code). This, in turn, will not only reinforce the public’s confidence in federal public institutions, but also the confidence public servants themselves have in their own departments. Ethical leadership is the single most critical element in establishing an effective ethics program within federal government institutions. Several studies have shown that the leader is the greatest influence and factor in determining the behaviour of their followers or subordinates (Schein 5). There are numerous ethical and leadership theories that insist leaders are the best suited for stitching ethics into the fabric of an institution or corporation. While these theories exist and are available, there is too much emphasis placed on the role of the leader to set “the tone at the top” and not enough attention is paid to the role of the middle manager or supervisor: the leader with the most interaction and therefore influence on an organization’s employees. Furthermore, there has yet to be a singular, definitive ethical leadership theory employed across the federal public service. I will argue that virtue or character-based ethical leadership is the best framework for instilling ethics within federal public service institutions and the critical role of middle managers. First, I will begin by examining the establishment of the current ethics program as well as the expected behaviours and accountabilities placed on leaders. Second, I will demonstrate the importance of leadership in shaping the behaviours of public servants and the role of middle managers in this process. Third, I will examine the notion of virtue ethics as a normative ethical framework and explore the opposition to this framework. Finally, I will examine virtue-based leadership and recommend how it can be instilled across the public service with a clear example for the way forward.