Ethics, Leadership, and Special Challenges for Public Administrators
Ethics in government is essential for earning and maintaining the public’s trust. Yet, in actual governmental settings, administrators may often be presented with novel and unexpected critical issues requiring immediate resolution. Often, leaders may make decisions that are clearly legal but woefully unethical and may compromise public trust. Leaders within an organization must demonstrate a leadership style that is both ethical and effective; however, in the history of the Unites States, these two elements are sometimes incompatible, which can have serious unintended consequences. Consider the issue of “weapons of mass destruction” under former President George W. Bush. Would you describe this leadership style as ethical, necessary, and legal?
Directions
In this discussion, reflect deeply about the ethical responsibilities required of public administrators in the context of leadership.
Please review The Tuskegee Timeline (Links to an external site.), which outlines the Tuskegee Study and provides a discussion with respect to some of the relevant topics covered in chapters 5 and 10 from the Shafritz text. In your view, could this happen again? Why and/or why not?
Your post should be 250–300 words and use APA style.