Ethical Leadership at the District Level in the Eastern Cape Department of Health

Abstract

This research project resonates on the argument that ethical leadership is an integral aspect of good governance and service delivery in the public district health system. It is well understood that lack of ethical leadership in any organisation compromise accountability, transparency, integrity, efficient management of resources and responsiveness to the public need on service delivery. At times it increases corruption, affect conducive working environment and good work interpersonal relations. The South African Constitution section 195 is the foundation of numerous legislation and policies that guide the public service officials to prevent maladministration, corruption and promote high ethical standards. Different report on public health services in South Africa such as scholar articles, bad media publicity and chapter nine institutions are a reflection of a disconnection between public service officials conduct and the desired ethical principles which are aimed to put the interest of the citizens at heart. As such this study sought to interrogate senior managers’ perceptions of what it means to be an ethical leader and what that means for goals of ethical leadership in Eastern Cape Department of Health (ECDoH). This was a qualitative case study which was underpinned by an interpretive paradigm to gain an in-depth understanding of ethical leadership meaning based on the lived experiences of the ECDoH senior management at the district level. A purposive sampling was used to recruit key informants from seven ECDoH districts. An interview guide with semi-structured and open ended questions was used to collect data through individual interviews from seven participants. A document analysis was also explored a triangulation of the interview responses. Findings of this suggested that the key informants clearly understand what it means to be an ethical leader. However, though the participants regard themselves ethical, the results revealed that they encounter complex circumstances that prevent them to practice ethical leadership. In essence, there is fragmentation between what they say and how they respond to situations that require their firm decision making. IX This study recommends further investigations to gain in-depth understanding on the limitations of leaders ethical leadership.