Roles of leadership and rules of conduct in instilling ethical behaviour: case of City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality

Abstract

This research set out to find out what factors drive the ethical conduct of municipal staff members in general, with the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (CTMM) as a case study. The rules as well as the conduct of the leaders under which the officials serve may influence the standard of ethics attainable. An understanding of what factors influence the choices made by individual officials is imperative for the attainment of good ethical standard of behaviour. This will help the CTMM to understand what exactly drives their staff members to act and behave ethically at their job, especially when dealing with the public. The study started with an exploration of the different leadership styles that exist and how such may influence the organisation that is led, after which it discussed how rules are developed, codified in the system and translated into organisational culture. Pertinent questions about the importance of rules of conduct and styles of leadership were then formulated and posed to the officials and the leadership of the municipality in order to understand their perception of the influence of these factors on maintaining high ethical standard. The case study approach was adopted and respondents were selected with the assistance of the information officer of the municipality. Responses were obtained within the constraints imposed by the COVID-19 restrictions on business operations and the data collected was coded using ATLAS.ti. The codes were analysed and grouped to extricate the embedded themes and deductions were made from the evolution of the themes. The research revealed that leadership seems to play a more significant role in influencing the behaviour of staff members. In as much as staff members are aware of the rules of conduct, and have even been made to sign the rules, it was revealed that these rules are just guiding principles on paper. The behaviour and guidance of their leaders tend to influence staff conduct more than the rules and it needs leadership attitude to legitimise the rule itself. This suggests that while it is important for the CTMM to give attention to its rules, it will, however, achieve a lot more in driving ethics in its organisation by giving more attention to how leadership with ethical values are recruited, trained, retained and encouraged to influence the commitment of the officers of the municipality to maintaining a high standard of ethics in the municipality.

Dinyakišišo tše di nyaka go tseba mabaka ao a hlohleletšago maitshwaro a makaone a maloko a bašomi ba masepala ka kakaretšo, go lebeletšwe Masepala wa Toropokgolo ya Tshwane (CTMM) bjalo ka ntlha ya dinyakišišo. Melawana, gammogo le maitshwaro a baetapele bao bahlankedi ba šomago ka fase ga bona, e ka huetša maemo a go fihlelela maitshwaro a makaone. Go bohlokwa go kwešiša gore ke mabaka afe ao a huetšago dikgetho tša motho go fihlelela maitshwaro a makaone. Se se tla thuša CTMM go kwešiša gore gabotse ke eng seo se hlohleletša bašomi ba ona go dira le go itshwara gabotse ka mešomong ya bona, kudukudu ge ba šoma le setšhaba. Ka fao, dinyakišišo tše di thoma go kwešišo ya mekgwa ya boetapee yeo e fapafapanego le ka fao e ka huetšago setheo, gammogo le ka fao melawana e hlangwago ka gona, e beakanywago ka tshepedišong, le go fetišetšwa ka go setlwaedi sa setheo seo. Dipotšišo tša maleba ka ga bohlokwa bja melawana ya maitshwaro le mekgwa ya boetapele le tšona di ile tša hlangwa gomme tša botšišwa bahlankedi le baetapele ba masepala go nyaka go tseba ka fao ba bonago khuetšo ya mabaka a ka ga go tšwetša pele maitshwaro a makaone. Mokgwa wa dinyakišišo tša seemo o dirišitšwe gomme baarabi ba ile ba kgethwa gotee le bahlankedi ba masepala ba maleba. Diphetolo di ile tša hwetšwa ka go obamela melawana ya Covid-19 mabapi le go šoma ga dihlongwa, gomme tshedimošo yeo e kgobokeditšwego e ile ya fiwa khoute ya ATLAS.ti le dingwalwa tša maleba tšeo di kgethilwego, gomme kwešišo e hweditšwe go lebeletšwe merero yeo e bakilwego ke dikhoute. Dinyakišišo di utollotše gore boetapele bo bonala bo kgatha tema ye bohlokwa kudu go huetša maitshwaro a maloko a bašomi. Ka ge bašomi ba tseba melawana ya maitshwaro ebile ba kgopetšwe gore ba saenele melawana ye, go utollotšwe gore melawana ye ke fela ditlhahli tšeo di ngwadilwego pampiring. Maitshwaro le tlhahlo ya baetapele ba bona di fela di huetša maitshwaro a bašomi kudu go feta melawana gomme se se nyaka maikemišetšo a baetapele go dira gore melawana e phethagatšwe ka semolao. Se se šišinya gore le ge CTMM e swanetše go fa šedi go melawana ya yona, e tla fihlelela tše ntši kudu go hlohleletša maitshwaro a makaone ka setheong sa yona. Go fa šedi ye ntši mabapi le ka fao baetapele ba go ba le maitshwaro a mabotse ba thwalwago ka gona, ba hlahlwago, ba tšwelago pele go šoma ka masepaleng le go hlohleletšwa go huetša boikgafo bja bahlankedi ba masepala, go tla tšwetša pele maitshwaro a makaone kudu ka masepaleng.

Ucwaningo belufuna ukuthola ukuthi ngabe yiziphi izindlela zokuziphatha ngokwama-ethiki eziqhuba ukusebenza kwabasebenzi ngokubanzi, kanti kusetshenziswe i-City of Tswane Metropolitan Municipality (CTMM) njengesifundo sokubonisa i-case study. Imitheshwana yolawulo, kanye nokuziphatha kwabaholi izikhulu ezisebenzela bona, kungaba nomthelela ngezinga lama-ethiki okufinyelelwa kuwo. Kubalulekile ukuqondisisa ukuthi ngabe yiziphi izinto ezinomthelela kulokho okukhethwa zikhulu ngokufinyelela amazinga ama-ethiki ngokuziphatha. Lokhu kuzosiza abe-CTMM ukuqondisisa kahle ukuthi yini okunomthelela ngokusebenza kwabasebenzi ukuthi benze ngendlela ethile nokuziphatha okuthile ngokwama-ethiki emisebenzini yabo, ikakhulukazi lapho bebhekana nabantu. Lolu cwaningo, ngakho-ke luqhubeka ngokusekela ekuqondisiseni izitayela zobuholi obehlukene kanye nokuthi ngabe zinomthelela kanjani kwinhlangano, kanye nokuthi imitheshwana yolawulo (rules) yenziwa kanjani, ifakelwa kanjani kwinqubo, kanti futhi yenziwa kanjani ukuthi ibe yingxenye yosiko lwenhlangano. Imibuzo ebalulekile mayelana nokubaluleka kwemitheshwana yolawulo yokuziphatha kanye nezitayela zobuholi kwenziwa kwase kunikezwa izikhulu kanye nobuholi bukamasipala ukuthi bachaze ukuthi ngabe babona kanjani umthelela walezi zinto ekusebenzeni ngokulandela amazinga ama-ethiki aphezulu. Inqubo ye-case study yiyo eyenziwa kanti abaphenduli kucwaningo bakhethwa kanye-kanye ngokusebenzisana nezikhulu zikamasipala ezifanele. Izimpendulo zatholakala noma kunezihibe ngenxa ye-Covid-19 ngokusebenza kwebhizinisi, kanti ulwazi olwaqoqwa lwahlelwa ngokulandela i-ATLAS.ti kanti imibhalo ethize yafundwa, kanti kwafinyelelwa ukuqondisisa ngezihloko ezavela kumakhodi. Ucwaningo luveze ukuthi ubuholi bubonakala budlala indima ebalulekile ekubeni nomthelela ngokuziphatha kwabasebenzi. Njengoba abasebenzi bazi ngemitheshwana yolawulo yokuziphatha kanti futhi kwenziwa ukuthi basayine lemitheshwana yolawulo, kwavela ukuthi le mitheshwana yolawula iyizimiso nje zemikhombandlela ezisemaphepheni kodwa engasetshenziswa ngokwempela. Ukuziphatha kanye nobuholi babaholi yibona obunomthlela kakhulu ukwedlula imitheshwana yolawulo, kanti kudingeka ukubona kobuholi ukuze imitheshwana yolawulo isebenze kahle. Lokhu kuphakamisa ukuthi ngisho noma abe-CTMM kumele baqikelele ngemitheshwana yolawulo, kodwa kungafinyelelwa okuningi uma kungaba nokuqhuba ama-ethiki kakhulu enhlanganweni.

Ukubonelela kakhulu ukuthi ngabe ubuholi bubona ama-ethiki ebaluleke kangakanani lapho kugqugquzelwa abazosebenza, kuqeqesho, kanye nasekugcineni abasebenzi kanye nasekukhuthazeni ukuba nomthelela ukuzimisela kwezikhulu zikamasipala, yikho okungenza ukuthi kulandelwe amazinga aphezulu ama-ethiki kumasipala.