Leadership in the Public Sector

¶ … ethical obligations -- as discussed, for example, in Chapter 16 of the Northouse text -- allegedly breached by Smith or Halloran while in office. (These obligations will not "fit" perfectly, as the real world does not always match the academic world precisely. Contemplate and give the best answer.) In each case, describe the ethically-proper course of action that was not taken by the relevant actors. Does New York -- like Chicago, Illinois, which was called the most corrupt city in the United States (Cody, 2012) -- have a special culture where corruption is accepted or even expected? Be sure to contrast the differences between leadership and power. Also discuss whether Smith and Halloran's behavior would have been unethical in the private sector.

Background

New York State Sen. Malcolm Smith and New York City Councilman Dan Halloran were arrested by federal authorities in an alleged plot to rig the New York City mayor's race (Associated Press, 2013). U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara described the situation as (Associated Press, 2013):

"an unappetizing smorgasbord of graft and greed involving six officials who together built a corridor of corruption stretching from Queens and the Bronx to Rockland County and all the way up to Albany itself."

The senator and the councilman were caught taking a cash bribe from federal authorities in the amount of $7,500 dollars. "You can't get anything without the f -- king money… money is what greases the wheels -- good, bad or indifferent," Halloran allegedly remarked when questioned about the affair (Margolin, 2013). Senator Smith was also trying to bribe his way into the Mayoral race in New York even though he was a registered Democrat.

Ethical Principles

Ethics is a derivative of the Greek word ethos which translates as customs, conduct, or character. It focuses on the values and morals that a society has or should have in a desirable state. A society with an ethical void will be dysfunctional on many levels and many philosophers have developed systems of ethics that can serve as guides to organize individual and group behavior. These ethical systems include models such as ethical formalism, utilitarianism, natural law, teleological and deontological, and more with countless variations of each. The deontological and teleological are arguably the most popular systems. The deontological ethical system focuses on the motivations of the individual that is conducting an act. By contrast, the teleological approach focuses on the outcomes of someone's actions.

If a person was on a bus that was about to crash and the person had to save everyone to save themselves first, if they saved themselves and everyone else then this can be viewed different from different ethical perspectives. If you consider the outcome then the situation would be viewed as ethical. The person saved the bus full of people which could be viewed as a heroic ethical act. However, the person could also be motivated by pure self-interest and not be acting ethically at all when you considered their motivation. Thus the same actions can be either ethical or unethical depending solely on the ethical perspective that is used to examine the situation.

Applied Ethics

The situation with Sen. Malcolm Smith and New York City Councilman Dan Halloran could be viewed from a variety of different ethical views. Their actions seem unconscionable but it could be argued that they were somehow still acting ethically if you considered their motivations. For example, say Smith had a vision for the society that would decrease unemployment, provide greater access for healthcare, or some other legislative action that had the potential to help countless people. Some might argue, most likely including Smith himself, that his motives were entirely pure and the end would justify the means -- the means in this case being bribery and corruption among others.

However, most people would probably feel that the ends do not justify the means in this case and that no matter what the ends were, the means that were used were not justifiable. A democracy has rules and regulations to level the playfield and try to ensure that the public is being appropriately represented. Maintaining the integrity of the system improves the likelihood that government will effectively represent the population. By rigging the system with bribes, this provides a potential advantage to candidates that otherwise would not deserve it.

From the new coverage, it is easy to speculate that Sen. Malcolm Smith and New York City Councilman Dan Halloran were trying to promote their own self-interest and maximize their power through illegal and corrupt actions. Thus their motives seem consistent with pure ambition with little or no regard for the public's good and the people that they represent. If this is the case, then the two men could not be viewed as being ethical from any perspective and their actions were clearly unethical. It is always difficult to know what truly motivates someone though. They may have great intentions that lead to terrible outcomes.

It is for this reason most of the rules and regulations that govern a society must rely on outcomes and not internal motivations. However, in some cultures this kind of behavior is the norm in both the private and public sector. People in leadership positions will often expect to be bribed in some fashion. In the developed world, it is generally unacceptable to use bribes in any form. In fact there are laws and regulations that even guide the practice of gift giving to ensure that it does not influence decision making.