Ethical leadership in public service: the meaning and significance of the phenomenon

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the notion`s meaning of ethical leadership, the disclosure of its manifestations in the professional activities of public officials, the determination of the potential of this phenomenon for strengthening the ethical principles of the public services’ functioning.It has been established that the main theories of leadership usually classify ethical behaviour as an important characteristic of a leader's personality, but, at the same time, they either do not focus on its meaningful status or consider ethical leadership as inherent for certain individual leaders. Therefore, the necessity for a thorough research of ethical leadership at the level of individuals and institutions is noted.The manifestations of ethical leadership as a component of the professional competence of the heads of government bodies and their subordinates have been analysed, the growth of its importance depending on the place an employee occupies in the management hierarchy of a public institution has been emphasized.The importance of strengthening the professional and ethical atmosphere in the public service has been emphasized not only in the form of fixing the norms of acceptable employees` behaviour in ethical codes, but also the existence of a real example of an ethical leader who is also guided by higher values and encourages colleagues to positive behaviour and personal growth. Attention is drawn to the scientific potential of the interaction idea between servants` leadership skills and their ability to solve ethical problems in the workplace, as well as the promotion of ethics in the organizational culture of public service.The research made it possible to formulate the author's definition of ethical leadership in public service as a meaning-forming, complex phenomenon, which provides for the leader's possession of the necessary moral qualities and ethical characteristics that manifest themselves in relationships, actions and behaviour, as well as ethical management of a public institution.