UNIVERSITY OF GHANA 

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY 

 

 

 

RELEVANCE OF THE CODE CONDUCT AND WORK ETHICS TO 

THE GHANA CIVIL SERVICE 

 

 

BY 

SAMMY - LONGMAN ATTAKUMAH 

(10256505) 

 

 

 

THIS THESIS IS SUBMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, 

LEGON IN PARTIAL FUFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR 

THE AWARD OF MPHIL SOCIOLOGY DEGREE 

 

 

APRIL, 2013

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DECLARATION 
 

―I hereby declare that this thesis is the result of my own original research and 

that no part of it has been presented for another degree to any University or 

elsewhere‖ 

 

 

 ………………………………………..  ..………………. 

 

SAMMY-LONGMAN ATTAKUMAH             DATE 

    

                 (STUDENT) 

 

 

………………………………………..  ……………….. 

DR. KOFI OHENE-KONADU              DATE 

            (SUPEVISOR) 

 

 

…………………………………………  ………………… 

PROF. CHRIS ABOTCHIE      DATE 

          (SUPEVISOR) 
 

 

 

 

 

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DEDICATION 

 

 

Ann, Ian, Marian and Lilian 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 

 

My sincere gratitude goes to my supervisors, Dr. Kofi Ohene-Konadu and Professor Chris 

Abotchie, who supervised the work and for their invaluable suggestions. Their 

observations and comments were indeed very helpful. 

Special thanks also go to the following personalities: Mr. W. K. Kemevor, Head of the 

Civil Service and Ms. Nancy Lucy Dzah, former Acting Chief Director of the Ministry of 

Women and Children Affairs, variously, for the information and documents given me. 

It is also a delight to acknowledge the following: Dr. Dan-Bright Dzorgbo and Mr. E. H. 

Mends all of the Department of Sociology, University of Ghana, Legon, for their 

inspiration which spurred me on while pursuing this academic work at the Department of 

Sociology, University of Ghana. 

Special mention is also being made of Mrs. Edwina Asantewaa Annor, a Private Secretary 

at the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, for typing the greater part of this work, 

Mr. Kwesi Twumasi-Ankrah for the assistance in the Data Analysis and Mr. Benjamin 

Samuel Addo, both of the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing. 

Finally, I wish to put on record my appreciation to Chief Directors and Heads of 

Directorates and Departments/Units, and all those who contributed in diverse ways and for 

their roles in this research, but cannot be mentioned individually due to lack of space. 

I am solely responsible for any commissions or omissions found in this work which may 

be due to human error. 

SAMMY-LONGMAN ATTAKUMAH 

 

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ABSTRACT 

Over the last ten (10) years the Ghana Civil Service has been implementing a new Civil 

Service Code of Conduct and Work Ethics policy. It was introduced in 1999 by the Office 

of the Head of the Civil Service (OHCS) with the ultimate goal of improving the work 

culture, enhancing the overall professional efficiency and image of the Civil Service. This 

study into the relevance of the new policy to the Civil Service of Ghana was done from the 

stand point of the top level management personnel of the Service, who were responsible 

for its successful implementation.  

The study was conducted between October 2012 and April 2013 within a random sample 

of 8 out of 24 Ministries and 3 purposively selected ministerial organizations located 

within the Ministerial Area in Accra. The study population of 135 personnel comprised of 

27 Chief Directors and 108 four-line Directors. The triangulated approach was employed 

in the gathering of both qualitative and quantitative data. Primary data was gathered 

through questionnaires administered by the investigator to the respondents, interviews and 

the observation method, whilst secondary data was obtained from official records and 

library sources. At the end of the data gathering period, out of 56 questionnaires 

administered 45 (80.4%) responses were obtained. Since the groups in the study 

population are fairly homogeneous, the total responses obtained for the study could be said 

to be statistically representative. 

The general objective of the study is to provide an understanding of how the policy has 

been implemented for the past decade, how far the goals have been achieved and the 

challenges. The four specific objectives of the study are to: Examine the rationale for and 

key elements of the new Civil Service Code of Conduct and Work Ethics policy; Assess 

the relevance of the new Code of Conduct and Work Ethics to the knowledge, attitudes 

and perceptions of the implementers; Examine the adequacy of strategy for the successful 

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implementation of the new policy; and find out the challenges and make policy 

recommendations. The two hypotheses tested are: That top level managers of the Civil 

Service did NOT show a low level perception of the Civil Service Code of Conduct/Work 

Ethics; and, That there is NO significant difference in the strategy adopted by the Chief 

Directors and the approved HRM strategy for the implementation of the Code of 

Conduct/Work Ethics policy. 

Having in mind the objectives of the study, the theoretical frameworks used are the 

Systems Theory, the dominant culture-cum-sub-culture models, the Ethics Management 

Theory and the related ―Ethics Benchmarking‖ model and the modern Human Resource 

Management approach.  

The major findings of the research are that, the implementers have not done enough to 

achieve the policy goals. First, though majority of respondents had considerably high level 

perception and understanding of the key principles of the policy, the implementation was 

poorly managed. Secondly, we noted that the preponderance of such non-rational factors 

as political interference, personal concern for career progression and job security, doing 

favours for family and friends and to an extent, office romance among respondents meant 

that they play major roles in decision-making by ‗big men‘ or top level management of the 

Civil Service. The implementers have thus permitted desirable ethical principles and 

values of the Service such as objectivity, meritocracy, organizational loyalty, 

accountability and professionalism, to suffer when making ethical and official decisions. 

In sum, because the implementers have low level of understanding for the basic principles 

of the policy, ineffective systems and structures have been adopted for the 

implementation. Poor and mediocrity ethics leadership and management thus translate into 

the overall failure to achieve the short-to-medium term goals of the policy. Though 

respondents perceive the policy as a relevant mechanism for leveraging the image of their 

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organizations, new developments within the local and global policy environment, 

including the passage of new laws and policies years after the adoption of the Code of 

Conduct policy in the Civil Service, respondents do not favour its revision soon. The study 

also pointed out that issues of sexual harassment and work place romance may be difficult 

to address or sanction. This may not only be due to cultural factors which compel the 

female victims to condone or tolerate these unethical conducts or prefer to ‗suffer in 

silence‘, but also because top level leadership lacks the commitment needed to make 

official policies bite. Regardless of the goals the new policy, the overall evidence from the 

study, makes it clear that the poor implementation the human rights of workers were not 

likely to be address adequately, nor will the desired local and international labour 

regulations reflect in the Civil Service administration in Ghana. 

The study therefore recommends that, the implementers should adopt modern human 

resource and ethics management strategies with committed leadership, accountability, 

systematic training, the application of rewards and sanctions and de-politicization of the 

Service, to help transform the overall professional efficiency, work culture and image of 

the Civil Service as envisaged. 

Finally, given that some of the initial theoretical assertions have been confirmed by the 

study and others refuted, the enhancement of our appreciation of how relevant the new 

Code of Conduct/Work Ethics policy is to the Civil Service cannot be underscored. In this 

regard, it is hoped that this study would be a wakeup call for the Public Policy fraternity 

that laudable as a policy may be, the envisaged goals would not be realized if those in 

charge are not fully committed to adopting appropriate mechanisms for implementation. 

The findings of this study could thus usefully form the basis for a more rigorous research 

in future to help build the evidence based knowledge on the Code of Conduct and Work 

Ethics within the Ghana Civil Service.      S-L A. 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Content               Page 

DECLARATION ................................................................................................................... i 

DEDICATION ...................................................................................................................... ii 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .................................................................................................. iii 

TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................... vii 

LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................... xi 

LIST OF CHARTS, DIAGRAMS AND FIGURES ........................................................... xii 

 

CHAPTER ONE ................................................................................................................... 1 

1.0 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 

1.1 Background to the Study ................................................................................................. 1 

1.2 THE NEW CODE OF CONDUCT AND WORK ETHICS POLICY. .......................... 7 

1.2.1 Policy Aspiration (Long-Term goal) ........................................................................ 7 

1.2.2 Policy Objectives (Short-To-Medium-Term goals) ................................................. 8 

1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM .............................................................................. 9 

1.5 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ......................................................................................... 12 

1.5.1 General Objectives ................................................................................................. 12 

1.6 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ................................................................................ 13 

1.7 HYPOTHESES ............................................................................................................. 23 

1.8 DEFINITION OF CONCEPTS .................................................................................... 24 

1.9 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY .............................................................................. 29 

1.10 CHAPTER ORGANIZATION ................................................................................... 30 

 

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CHAPTER TWO ................................................................................................................ 31 

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................. 31 

2.1 Initiatives for Appropriate Conduct/Work Ethics for Ghana Civil Service .............. 31 

2.2 Concerns About Work Ethics in the Public Service in Ghana .................................. 34 

2.3 Business Organizations Codes and Ethics - Do Leaders Always Practice What They 

Preach – The Myths and Reality. .................................................................................... 36 

ii. TheMyths and Reality ................................................................................................. 38 

2.4 Ethical Environment Of The New Civil Service Code Of Conduct and Work Ethics 

Policy. ................................................................................................................................. 44 

2.5 Definition of the Civil Service ...................................................................................... 46 

2.6 Role and Functions of the Civil Service ....................................................................... 47 

2.7 Staffing the Civil Service .............................................................................................. 47 

2.8 Strengths, Principles and Values of the Civil Service................................................... 48 

2.9 Ministries - Definition, Mandate and Structure ............................................................ 49 

2.10 Some Developments Which Contributed to the Current Ethical Environment .......... 52 

2.11 Politicization of the Public Sector: .............................................................................. 54 

2.12 The Civil Service Career Training and Development ................................................. 55 

2.13 Training and Development Responsibilities in the Civil Service ............................... 57 

2.14 Reporting on the Training and Development Programme. ......................................... 60 

2.15 Evaluation of Training and Development ................................................................... 61 

2.16 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 61 

 

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CHAPTER THREE ............................................................................................................. 63 

3.0 RESEARCH METHODS ............................................................................................. 63 

3.1 Research Design ............................................................................................................ 63 

3.2 Sampling Design ........................................................................................................... 64 

3.4 Data Handling ............................................................................................................... 70 

3.5 Ethical Considerations .................................................................................................. 70 

 

CHAPTER FOUR ............................................................................................................... 74 

4.0 DATA PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS ................................. 74 

4.1 SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF RESPONDENTS ................... 74 

4.1.1 Age of Respondents ................................................................................................ 74 

4.1.2. Sex of Respondents ............................................................................................... 77 

4.1.3. Length of Service of Respondents ......................................................................... 80 

4.2 KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES OF RESPONDENTS ......................................... 82 

4.2 1 Respondents‘ Knowledge of the Guiding Principles of the Code of Conduct. ...... 82 

4.2.2 Perceptions of Respondents on the Implementation of Approved Work Ethics. ... 86 

4.2.3 Respondents Satisfaction in Staff Compliance with the Work Ethics. .................. 91 

4:2.4 Respondent‘s View on the Extent to Which they are Providing the Best Ethical 

Leadership for their Organizations as ‗Ethical Role Models. ......................................... 94 

4.3 PRACTICES AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ETHICS POLICY ..................... 98 

4.3.1 Ethics Implementation Programme Put in Place by Chief Directors. .................... 98 

4.3.2 Situations Which Pose Greatest Challenges in Ethics Decision-Making and Work 

Ethics Management. ...................................................................................................... 105 

4.3.3 Respondents‘ Performance in Handling Ethical Issues as Head of Department. . 112 

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4.3.4 Issues of Primary Consideration For Top Level Management Personnel In Ethics 

Decision-Making Situations. ......................................................................................... 114 

 

CHAPTER FIVE ............................................................................................................... 119 

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ..................................... 119 

5.1 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 119 

5.2 Conclusions ................................................................................................................. 121 

5.3 Recommendations ....................................................................................................... 126 

5.4 Future Research ........................................................................................................... 129 

REFERENCES .................................................................................................................. 130 

APPENDIX I: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR RESPONDENTS ............................................ 134 

APPENDIX II: TESTING OF HYPOTHESES ................................................................ 141 

 

 

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LIST OF TABLES 

 

Table 4:1:1 Age of Respondents…………………………………………………… 75 

Table 4.1:2 Sex of Respondents…………………………………………………… 77 

Table 4.1:3 Length of Service/Grade of Respondents…………………………….. 81 

Table 4.2:3 Respondents‘ Satisfaction with Staff Compliance to Work Ethics… 91 

Table 4.2:4 How Managers Perceive Their Ethical Leadership Role (Do You              

Serve as ‗Ethics Role Model‘ for your Organization?)…………….. 94 

Table 4.3.2 Respondents‘ Prioritized Key Sources of Ethical Challenges and 

Dilemmas…………………………………………………………….. 106 

 

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LIST OF CHARTS, DIAGRAMS AND FIGURES 

 

Diagram 2.1 Structure of a Ministry ……………………………………………… 50 

Chart     4.2.1: Knowledge Base of Respondents on the Guiding Principles…….. 83 

Chart    4.2.2: Perception on Implementation of Approved Work Ethics………… 87 

Figure  4.3.1: Ethics Management Programmes Implemented by Chief Directors…101 

Figure  4.3.3: Respondent‘s Performance in Ethical Issues as Head of 

Organization………………………………………………………… 113 

Figure  4.3.4: Key Concerns When Leaders Make Ethical Choices & Decisions…. 115 

Figure  4.3.5: Respondent‘s Views About Revision of the Code of Conduct……... 117 

 

 

 

 

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CHAPTER ONE 

1.0 INTRODUCTION 

1.1 Background to the Study 

Modern organizations are constantly seeking ways of gaining competitive advantage in 

business. One sure way of remaining relevant in business is ensuring that the organization 

has a vibrant business culture and good corporate image. The culture of an organization 

provides standardized conduct employees are expected to exhibit in order achieve the 

goals of the organization and through this it acquires its corporate identity. Focus on the 

culture of the organization thus enables managers and subordinates to understand the 

approved standards of behavior which underpin the day to day interactions that would 

enhance productivity within the work place environment. This view point is underscored 

by Asare-Bediako a Ghanaian Human Resource management and organization 

development consultant who has stated that: ―Most managers believe that a strong 

organizational culture, closely linked to organizational objectives and goals, can mean the 

difference between success and failure in today‘s business world.‖ (Asare-Bediako, 

2002:279). This assertion suggests that a close correlation exists between what employees 

do or do not do to achieve the set goals - corporate culture - and organizational efficiency 

and success - good corporate image. 

 

Understandably, when an organizational culture is being promoted, good management 

practices require that institutional arrangements are put in place to enable employees 

understand the goals of the organization and work to attain them. This may be so because 

employees need to acquire the shared values and attitudes essential for the achievement of 

the desired goals of the organization which helps to create a good corporate image.  

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Fundamentally, the task of providing the appropriate culture for an organization has been 

the core responsibility of management. Several institutional mechanisms are often adopted 

to create and transmit the desired culture to employees to ensure organizational efficiency 

and effectiveness. When the goal is transforming the culture of their organizations, a key 

organizational driver or modern tool which has been used by corporate management has 

been to adopt Code of Conduct or Business Ethics benchmarking. (Mary Whaley, 2007). 

Establishing the appropriate framework for organizational culture requires that the 

elements and principles must go through consultations and formal approval process to 

ensure general acceptability and applicability to meet the expected standards of attitudes 

and conduct required within the organization (Asare-Bediako, 2002) Thus, like all 

organizations, the Ghana Civil Service requires a positive work culture is essential for 

ensuring productivity consciousness, organizational efficiency and good corporate image. 

For this to be successfully promoted then, good management practices and employees 

orientation must be seen as a ‗sine qua non‘ and indispensable within the Civil Service. 

Historically, the Civil Service has evolved work culture and professional ethics which 

traditionally have been identified with it over the years. These include the principles of 

objectivity, integrity, meritocracy, confidentiality, anonymity, political neutrality and 

permanence. As a carry-over from the Colonial Civil Service, the cultural temperament 

inherited by post-colonial Civil Service predominantly was guided by the principle of 

―Command and Control.‖ The phrase ‗your obedient servant‘ aptly conveys this 

temperament of the old order. The Service structure had the semblance of military 

regimentation and characterized by ―order from above‖ with directives issuing from a 

superior officer, ―the boss‖ to the ―subordinate‖ who carried out orders with enthusiasm 

and/or without question. 

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Though this long cherished organizational culture of the Civil Service appears to have 

declined today, sections of the public feel reprehensible and opprobrious about the poor 

image and identity of the Civil Service which has attracted various criticisms. Clients who 

come into business contacts with Civil Servants often come face to face with attitudes and 

conduct they consider contemptuous, disrespectful and frustrating. Complaints about the 

Public Service range from inflexibility, sluggishness and long delays, insensitivity and 

lack of courtesy. It appears then that until the recent Civil Service reforms with the 

introduction of the new Civil Service of Code of Conduct, the old ways of doing business 

largely held sway over much of the Civil Service business practices. Before the reforms, a 

largely conservative crop of leadership which existed was hierarchically structured and 

determined the character of business processes and frontline services of the Civil Service. 

Also the philosophical underpinning of the ‗colonial mind‘ was loyal service to the British 

imperial government (the colonial master). In line with this, the General Orders and 

Administrative Instructions and other institutional structures of the Service were 

established to govern the Ghana Civil Service. This meant that the administrative structure 

of the colonial master designed for exploitation and expropriation of the resources of pre 

independent Ghana remained largely intact, albeit, a facade. 

 

Over the years, the Civil Service had gone through several legal and institutional reforms 

either to consolidate long held ethical and attitudinal traditions or intend to modernize and 

transform the structural and administrative processes of the service. In recent years, major 

reform initiatives aimed at re-engineering the Public Service of Ghana in general 

commenced with the passage of the Civil Service Law, 1993 (PNDCL 327). Thereafter, 

the National Institutional Renewal Programme (NIRP) was established in the 1990s. This 

culminated in the preparation of a new strategic document which prescribed a major 

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direction and agenda for the socio-economic transformation of Ghana – the ―Vision 2020‖ 

Development Agenda. The ―Vision 2020‖ itself was adopted by government in 1995 as a 

national strategic programme. The document defined the developmental path the nation 

would embark on for the next twenty years, beginning in year 2000. The ultimate goal 

envisioned in the ―Vision 2020‖ policy document was that Ghana should attain the 

―Middle Income‖ status of development by the year 2020. The First Step (the preparatory 

phase) of the said ―Vision 2020‖ lasted from 1996 to 2000.  The Civil Service was 

expected to drive the new state-led transformation process and the need for it to acquire a 

new character and psyche of its own became apparent. Consequently, Government decided 

to undertake specific institutional and administrative reforms as a pre-requisite for 

strengthening its own bureaucracy to enable it spearhead the new development agenda of 

the country. 

 

The Service reforms were intended improve its performance with the ultimate goal of 

making it efficient to be able to drive the nation‘s development agenda. Creating a 

professionally oriented ethically sensitive Civil Service with the appropriate work culture, 

was a positive way government thought it could help create a good image for the entire 

Civil Service. Within the general framework of the Public Sector in Ghana then, the Office 

of the Head of Civil Service (OHCS) is not only the Central Agency responsible for the 

formulation and implementation of policies for institutional reforms and organizational 

development, but also responsible for broad strategic human resource development and 

management policies for the entire Service. This responsibility which is stated in its 

Organizational Manual says that ‗it exists to promote dynamic leadership, manage human 

resources and promote organizational development … in a manner consistent with best 

management practices and good governance.‖ (OHCS, 2002:5) 

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Government business requires that the Civil Service exudes a work culture which must 

make the Public Service delivery effective and efficient. The attitudes and conduct of Civil 

Servants must demonstrate considerable level of professionalism, satisfy the needs of 

customers and clients and create a positive image of government. The Service must ensure 

that it has what may appropriately be called the ―right performance mindset‖. (AAPAM, 

2010:14) The understanding is that it is not sufficient for Civil Servants to will efficiency 

and effectiveness. They must strive to acquire the right competencies by way of 

knowledge, attitudes and skills and be motivated to translate these competencies into 

achieving the vision and mandate of the Service. 

 

In its bid to design a new organizational culture for the Ghana Civil Service, the new 

policy reform was anchored upon a gradual introduction of market orientation, customer-

centered services, effective and efficient services, results oriented performance as key 

components. To ensure the development of Civil Service organizations, committed to new 

and more effective work culture, top management of the Ministries, Departments and 

Agencies (MDAs) were required to develop Sector Medium Term Development Plans 

(SMTDP). In this regard, a new national planning template that would guide MDAs in the 

preparation of their Plans was developed by the National Development Planning 

Commission (NDPC) in accordance with the National Development Planning (System) 

Act 480. Some features of the SMTDPs were the formulation and adoption of sector by 

sector corporate Vision, Mission Statement, Goals and Strategies together with sector-

specific Core Values which should guide the conduct and behavior of all employees and 

workers of each organization. As part of the Service-wide reforms, MDAs were mandated 

to establish a Client Services Unit in line with official directives. Ultimately in 1997, the 

annual Performance Agreement mechanism as a management tool for setting annual 

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performance targets as the basis for evaluating institutional performance was introduced 

for the leadership of MDAs. This new mechanism was designed for ensuring public sector 

accountability, efficiency and transparency. As a policy all Chief Directors and line 

Directors of MDAs, as well as Regional and Co-cordinating Directors of the Metropolitan, 

Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) were to undergo yearly evaluation of their 

performance. A minimum score of 70% performance standard was established for the 

annual appraisal exercise. Thus any top level manager of the Civil Service who obtained 

scores below or above the minimum would be liable for the appropriate rewards or 

sanctions, as the case may be. A new Staff Performance Appraisal instrument was also 

introduced whereby individual targets were to be set for employees in line with the goals 

of the organization. This instrument also had in-built mechanisms for rewards and 

sanctions. Subordinates were to be appraised periodically, by their supervisors, usually, at 

the end of the year and the employees. This would also help identify the performance gaps 

and training needs of each employee. 

 

An efficient Civil Service depends on the quality of its employees. Ensuring a 

professionally oriented organization capable of providing dependable and satisfactory 

executive and administrative services to support government policies and programs would 

thus be a great asset for attaining Ghana‘s Vision 2020. In this direction a further attempt 

to further grow the new organizational culture for the Service, saw the introduction of a 

new Code of Conduct/Work Ethics policy for the Ghana Civil Service in 1999 by the 

OHCS. This was in step with attempts to transform the Service into a market-oriented 

―mind-set‖ in line with its Corporate Vision of becoming a customer oriented organization 

providing excellent services to the benefit of the government and people in a manner 

consistent with best management practices and good governance. (OHCS, 2005)  

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1.2 Study Area  

Altogether 24 Ministries within which the research was conducted were in existence at the 

time of the study between the period of October 2012 and April 2013. The Accra 

Metropolitan Authority area in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana constitutes the Study 

Area because all the organizations under study are located there. Specifically, virtually all 

the 24 Ministries and the other three ministerial organizations included in the study are 

found in the enclave commonly referred to as the Ministries Area. The 3 organizations 

were selected purposively and belong to a group of Civil Service organizations known as 

the Office of Government Machinery (OGM). They include the Office of the Head of the 

Civil Service (OHCS) the Public Sector Reforms secretariat (PSR) and the Public Services 

Commission (PSC). 

 

1.2 THE NEW CODE OF CONDUCT AND WORK ETHICS POLICY. 

The new policy prescribes reviewed standards of conduct and work ethics for Civil 

Servants. They may be classified as the aspiration or long-term goal and the objectives or 

short-to-medium-term goals. These are encrypted in PART I of the Code of Conduct 

policy document. 

 

1.2.1 Policy Aspiration (Long-Term goal) 

―The Ghana Vision 2020 envisages a Public Administration System (PAS) which 

is driven by a market oriented, liberalized economy, operating in an environment 

of good governance. This expectation of the role of the PAS, calls for a Civil 

Service which is customer sensitive and responsive to its social obligations.‖ 

(OHCS, 1999:3) 

 

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1.2.2 Policy Objectives (Short-To-Medium-Term goals) 

In the short-to-medium term however, the five (5) objectives of the policy are that:  

1. The culture/psyche of Civil Servants should conform to the Code of Conduct/Work 

Ethics which specifies the norms and standards of behavior and attitudes governing 

themselves and their employer, clients and the public. 

2. The standards and norms of behavior should become a framework for promoting 

good governance and image of the Civil Service. 

3. These rules reflect the human rights of the worker, local and international labour 

regulations, as well as the culture of the people of Ghana and the working 

environment of the Ghanaian Civil Servant. 

4. The Code of Conduct is the primary guide to Civil Servants in their normal 

relationships and dealings with stakeholders. (i.e. the yardstick for measuring 

conduct) 

5. Appropriate administration sanctions should be applied where a Civil Servant‘s 

conduct is found to be inconsistent with the Code. (OHCS, 1999) 

From the above objectives of the policy, it may be observed that four key issues stand out. 

In the first place, the new policy has established appropriate norms, values and standards 

of conduct as the new work culture which would guide daily interactions between the 

Civil Servant and his/her employer, clients as well as the public. Secondly, the Civil 

Service was to acquire the ethos of market orientation, provide customer-centered services 

in an effective and efficient way to achieve results oriented performance. Thirdly, the 

policy will serve as a new instrument to enable the leadership of the Civil Service develop 

the new work psyche of Civil Servants and the professional competence required in the 

Civil Service. Finally, as a sector-wide reform, the policy was to help transform the work 

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environment and ultimately provide the organizational culture required for projecting the 

good image of the Ghana Civil Service. 

 

For over a decade, the new policy has been implemented. The top leadership of the Civil 

Service was charged to commit itself to ensuring its success, and they were to be held 

accountable. It is therefore logical to question the extent to which the approved standards 

and norms of behavior of the Code of Conduct/Work Ethics serve as a framework for 

promoting the desired professional and ethical conduct in the Civil Service? In other 

words, in what way have the newly prescribed business principles and ethics in the policy 

impacted on the Service? Have the leadership of the Civil Service succeeded in ensuring 

that workers observe the organizational work ethics? When confronted with unethical 

issues such as fraud, conflict of interest, nepotism or cronyism and corruption, how do the 

top management personnel conduct themselves? What considerations determine the 

decisions of these top officials? Do they adopt non-rational methods or rely predominantly 

on social networks when addressing job-related challenges? For instance, do the policy‘s 

principles of merit, fairness, openness and public interest serve as the basis for decision-

making by the leaders or do they resort to other considerations? It is the conviction of this 

investigator that these issues merit empirical investigation.  

 

1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 

As has been outlined, a new Code of Conduct/Work Ethics policy was introduced in 1999 

for the Civil Service with the view to transforming to transforming the Culture of the 

Service. The objective of the policy, as has been examined was to provide a framework to: 

―…firmly establish in the Ghana Civil Service culture/psyche, a Code of Conduct/Work 

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Ethic for Civil Servants … appropriate norms and standards of behavior and attitudes…‖ 

(OHCS, 1999:3)  

The expected outcome of the policy was to bequeath the entire Civil Service with a 

healthy and productive organizational culture that would give it a new public image. It was 

the expectation that when the new principles and standards are fully established, the work 

attitudes and conduct of Civil Servants would be radically transformed and te entire 

Service culture would graduate into a goal-oriented, customer-focused, productivity 

inclined and image enhanced Civil Service. The Code mandates that: ―… each person in 

the Civil Service of Ghana accepts personal responsibility for developing and exhibiting a 

strong work ethic and affirms his or her commitment to combating negative work habit in 

the Civil Service of Ghana‖ (OHCS 1999:21) 

Undoubtedly, the new Code of Conduct/Work Ethics policy which was launched and 

circulated by the leadership of the Ghana Civil Service, had in it ―…provisions made for 

appropriate administrative sanctions to be applied where a Civil Servant‘s conduct was 

found to be inconsistent with the Code‖. (OHCS, 1999:3) Thorough staff orientation, 

mentoring, coaching and training, were required Civil Servants to acquire the knowledge-

base and competencies needed to apply the new professional ethos and standards to their 

jobs. There was also the need for all Civil Servants to be well educated in the knowledge 

and capacity to make ethical decisions adequately as required by the job.  

 

As a new service–wide mechanism for improving employee conduct and poor work ethics, 

personnel who were in top level management of the Service charged with the 

implementation, were to be held accountable. In view of the high expectations people had 

at the beginning of the policy concerns have been expressed from several quarters about 

the progress of implementation, the implementers and the perceived impacts of the policy 

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for over a decade of its introduction. Whilst some observers assert that there have been 

modest improvements and that time was needed for the full benefits of the projected 

changes to occur, others believe not much progress has been made by way of 

improvements. Yet still, others have the perception that nothing will change unless a 

shake-up that will ensure ―… a radical change in the mind-set, away from the attitude of 

‗business as usual‘ especially, for those leading the change‖ (PSRS, 2012:4) 

 

In light of the dichotomy of views expressed, the pertinent question that arises is whether 

the appropriate structures, strategies and personnel were put in place by the implementers 

to ensure its success. Some critics also hold the cynical view that little has been achieved 

and think that the leaders who are responsible for the implementation of the Code of 

Conduct/Work Ethics policy do not fully understand the underlying rationale for its 

introduction. They conclude that it was not justifiable for the leadership of the Service to 

be satisfied that employees had acquired the requisite ethical knowledge but applying it 

was the problem ant that was why the desired results were not visible to most people. 

So the question this research is asking is whether any of these views represent the true 

picture and which of them are speculations, exaggerations or accurate? Is the ethical 

knowledge acquired by the implementers being translated into the requisite ethical 

behavior and professional conduct? Do the rules reflect the human rights of the worker, 

local and international labour regulations in the working environment of the Ghanaian 

Civil Servant? Do the managers of the policy provided good ethical leadership to serve as 

role models for subordinates in their organizations? It is the search for answers to 

questions such as these underline a sociological study of the phenomenon. The need for 

evidence-based explanation to the prevailing phenomenon devoid of myths, stereotypes 

and conjectured debates about the relevance of the new Code of Conduct/Work Ethics 

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policy has become more pertinent now than before. The fact that the policy has been 

managed by leadership of the Civil Service for over a decade makes this assertion very 

prudent. 

 

The general objective of the study therefore derives from the need to find out from the 

viewpoint of top management personnel of the Service responsible for the implementation 

of the policy, to assess the current status of implementation, the challenges and the 

prospects of the policy. 

 

1.5 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES 

1.5.1 General Objectives 

In researching into the relevance of the new Civil Service Code of Conduct/Work 

Ethics policy, the general objective of the study is to provide empirical basis for 

understanding how it has been implemented for the past decade, how far the goals 

have been achieved and the challenges. 

1.5.2 Specific Objectives 

1. To examine the rationale for and key elements of the new Civil Service 

Code/Work Ethics policy; 

2. To assess the relevance of the new Code of Conduct/Work Ethics to the 

knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of the implementers; 

3. To examine the adequacy of the strategy for the successful implementation of the 

new policy (i.e., the extent of compliance to the required structures, systems and 

processes to achieve the desired policy outcomes); 

4. To find out the challenges and make policy recommendations. 

 

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1.6 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 

The new Code of Ethics introduced by OHCS into the Civil Service in 1999 has been 

viewed as a useful public sector policy initiative with the long term goal of transforming 

the image of the Civil Service. Its immediate impact was to provide employees new work 

ethics, values, attitudes and the required professionalism as part of a service-wide reform 

of the Ghana Civil Service.  

 

Having in mind the objectives of this research, a number of theoretical frameworks have 

been adopted for understanding the phenomenon. One of the paradigms considered 

relevant for this study is the Systems Theory. It takes its roots from ―cybernetics―, as 

applied to the study of organizations as social systems. Sergio Verdu (2008) has pointed 

out that the principle in ―cybernetics‖ is that when natural processes occur without 

assistance or control, they have a tendency toward a state of disorganization, or chaos. 

Thus, ―purposive behavior of humans in organizations … requires control mechanisms 

that maintain order by counteracting the natural tendency toward disorganization‖ (Verdu: 

2008:51) 

 

The theory helps us to understand the need for the introduction of the Code of 

Conduct/Work Ethics policy as a mechanism for regulating the ethical conduct of the 

Ghana Civil Service. The Systems Theory helps us to first conceptualize organizations, as 

open systems that are made up of several sub-systems which interact to determine the 

overall effectiveness and efficiency. The theory provides that a system processes inputs 

into outputs from its internal or external environment and influence the operational 

efficiency of the organization. Thus the Systems Theory provides a perspective that helps 

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us to see how the interplay of the people‘s political and social-cultural beliefs and values 

influence the organizational culture and work ethics of the Civil Service. 

 

Within the Ghana Civil Service, all the top level managers are perceived to be primarily 

Ghanaians. This is an assumption that some may challenge because most top level Civil 

Servants have had prolonged exposure and training in Western education and values. 

Another notion is that because most workers are recruited from different ethnic groups in 

the country, their worldviews of the Civil Service leaders and those of the employees have 

the disposition towards behaving in a somewhat ‗commonsensical‘ way and portrayal of 

the generality of Ghanaian cultural and traditional values, beliefs and social organization 

at the work place. In this respect, the theory alerts us about the influences which sub-

cultures can have on organization either ―positively as a facilitator of effectiveness and 

success or negatively as a barrier to morale, motivation and performance.‖ (Asare-

Bediako, 2002:257). 

 

Business Ethics of organizations are largely influenced by the existing political and socio-

cultural environment, and the Ghana‘s Civil Service is no exception. In this regard, the 

book ―Business Management‖ published by the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ghana 

(ICAG, 2009) has identified ten common socio-cultural elements of the Ghanaian social 

environment which may influence the ethical orientations of employees, managers and 

leaders within Ghanaian organizations. They include: ―Belief in the benevolence of the 

creator; extended family system; respect for elders; stress on achievement; authoritarian 

political structure; hospitality and gratitude; male dominated society and a show of 

masculinity; society dominated by communal values; and similar attitude to time.‖ (ICAG, 

2009:25). The Chart below is an adaptation from ICAG‘s publication with supplementary 

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information. It shows in general terms, how the Ghanaian socio-cultural variables can 

affect work ethics of business and public sector organizations. 

Table on Impact of the Social Environment on Management in Ghana. 

MANAGERIAL 

FUNCTION 

                          IMPACT 

Organizational 

Structure 

The structure of most organizations in Ghana is centralized and 

hierarchical with decision-making often restricted to the top 

hierarchy. 

Organizations are bureaucratic in character, adhering to 

established procedures and ―traditional‖ ways of doing things. 

The structure reflects the Ghanaian traditional political/social 

structure is which often centralized in character with a lot of 

emphasis on seniority/age than competence as the criteria. 

Communal values encouraged by loyalty to the extended family 

system promote team spirit and cohesiveness. 

 

Leadership and 

Management 

Style 

Leadership and management styles in some organizations in 

Ghana reflect the benevolent authoritarian nature of Ghanaian 

traditional society. The Managers are authoritarian in their 

leadership style or at best they aspire to be ―boss‖ or ―chief‖: to 

be the one in charge or in control. They do not want to ―off-load‖ 

responsibility to subordinates or subscribe wholly to the concept 

of worker participation and direct criticism is not very common. 

A worker‘s annual leave as a right is rare. 

 

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Time 

Management 

Time management in organizations in Ghana reflect traditional 

attitude to time with negative effects on management and 

organizations. It is expensive and ignores the money value of 

time. The average Ghanaian‘s gross lack of time consciousness 

and respect for deadlines often results in latecomers which lead to 

loss of time schedules even for official work. It prolongs 

decision-making unnecessarily in most organizations. Employees 

who have imbibed the Western concept of time are often in 

conflict with their colleagues who still stick to the ―African time‖ 

or the ―Ghana-Man-Time‖ (―GMT‖) Some organizations are not 

able to meet deadlines of customers because of poor attitude to 

time. It requires extra investment in resources to oblige staff to 

stick to time schedules. 

Human 

Relations 

Aspects of Ghanaian culture which promotes good human 

relations in organizations include hospitality, communal values 

and respect for authority. Others are people‘s desire to receive 

honour and self-esteem from other people. The tendency of some 

employees towards strong attachment to the extended family and 

ethnic group has the inherent tendency to breed nepotism, 

favouritism and cronyism which are some common practiced in a 

lot of organizations in Ghana. Enforcing a disciplinary action 

against certain employees may look like the twists and turns in a 

theatre, whilst a staff assistant who may be a mere messenger or 

‗legman‘, may also be a traditional ruler or ― éminence grise…‖ 

(Cribbin, 1972:62) 

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Commitment to 

Organizational 

Goals 

The Ghanaian worker‘s hierarchy of loyalty is initially to his 

primary group, next to the extended family and then to the ethnic 

group. He/she considers it a moral obligation ―…to share the 

benefits of his/her employment helping family members, home 

town members, church members, old school mates, ethnic group 

members to obtain jobs, loans, and other favours from the 

organization.‖ (Woode, 1986:.41-42). Employees trust, 

commitment and loyalty to the work group are sometimes heavily 

influenced by tribal and family considerations. The situation 

makes it difficult to obtain employee committed to the general 

mission and goals of the whole organization or its units. It also 

results in ―total disregard for the prosperity and resources of 

employers‖ (Woode, 1986:.45) 

 

Communication The typical Ghanaian employee subscribes to the traditional view 

that the elder is always right. This attitude has had some 

implications for the free flow of information in organizations. 

Employees tend to filter information going upward to the manger 

so that the ―boss‖ or ―chief‖ will not interpret it as criticism or a 

challenge. Powerful grapevines have developed as hot line, while 

rumours are roadrunners in most organizations. This may be due 

to the desire by some managers to maintain their hold on 

authority, status and power by keeping most vital information to 

themselves or their trusted cronies only. 

 

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Progression of 

Women and 

Gender 

The Ghanaian society is influenced by high masculine values. 

This tends to restrict the mobility of women in the organizational 

hierarchy. Ambitious women who work it to the top are viewed 

with suspicion. Women who make it to the ―top‖ tend to be 

highly assertive and ―bossy‖ as a means of neutralizing the male 

attitudes. 

Human 

Resource 

Management 

In some organizations in Ghana, interviews are mere formalities 

and ethnic group, family ties or how well one gets ―connected‖ 

play a significant role in recruitment and placement of workers. 

Further, family and ethnic ties also influence the selection of 

employees for transfers, promotions, travels, training and other 

benefits within the organization. Communal values common with 

Ghanaians could make it easier to introduce participatory 

management schemes such as quality circles, autonomous work 

groups or productivity teams. 

Perceptions 

about 

Government 

Service/ 

Employment 

The concept of ‗Aban adwuma‘ aptly expresses the attitude of 

many Ghanaians to work in government services where some 

believe that one needs not exert or commit oneself when one does 

not know the governing owners the job or employment. Obtaining 

employee commitment, dedication, honesty and loyalty to the 

state agency has become a big challenge for state institutions, 

Loans or credits administered by government agencies are 

perceived to be a political handshake or pro-bono reward for 

voting for the government. 

(Source: Adapted from ICAG, 2009:27-28) 

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These socio-cultural variables discussed may indeed have far reaching influence on the 

values that determine the ethical conduct of managers and employees in Ghana. We have 

reviewed them because their relevance as important socio-cultural variables for the 

management of organizational ethics in the Ghana Civil Service will be of interest to this 

research. 

 

Systems theorists again propose that organizations are social systems with their own life. 

They have personalities and like an organism, have individual unique characteristics and 

identity. Ghosh (2000) says that like organisms, social systems can be friendly or 

unfriendly, liberal or conservative, healthy or sick, grow or even die. Culture is said to be 

the norms of common values and attitudes that characterize or bind members of a group 

together. Consequently, when certain processes become routinized in the organization its 

character and pattern of behavior become self-evident as an identity of its own in much the 

same way as organizations may be identified with the brand name of goods and services 

they produce. (Ghosh, 2000)  

 

A number of authors such as Cribbin, (1972), have theorized that power is unequally 

distributed through every organization and it is proper to see the Civil Service as one such 

a system. Cribbin says that since people who occupy key positions of organizations find 

themselves in role sets, they must discover who casts the long shadows in the institution 

and who has the clout, and that ―…the manager-leader must identify power figures for the 

reason that they are in a position to augment or negate the leader‘s efforts to work 

effectively‖. (Cribbin, 1972:62). When viewed through the Systems Theory the assertion 

provides this study with a theoretical framework for understanding the extent to which the 

political leadership influences the ethical conduct of top level management which in turn 

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determines the ethical environment of the Civil Service in general. Cribbin further argues 

that when a political apparatus is omnipotent, and deviations by top men from the party 

line are ruthlessly dealt with; where criticism is not allowed, at least openly; where 

planning and policy are formulated by powerful bureaucracies, the leader-manger‘s 

behavior will necessarily be different significantly from that expected and demanded in 

organizations with democratic work environments. (Cribbin, 1972:54) Hence as this 

research proposes, the ethical conduct of management (i.e. what they do right or fail to do 

right) may largely determine the success or failure of any ethics management strategy and 

certainly the new Work Ethics policy. 

 

The Systems theory suggests that most large organizations, such as the Civil Service, have 

both dominant culture and numerous sub-cultures. The theory asserts that the cultural 

system may be a liability or an asset depending on whether it will promote organizational 

effectiveness or one that defeats or frustrates the achievement of organizations goals. In 

the real sense, since the ethos, values and norms are the elements of an organization‘s 

culture, the dominant culture is expressed by the core values that are shared by the 

employees of the organization. The organization‘s sub-culture includes those core values 

and beliefs that guide day-to-day actions and behaviors within the work group of the 

employee and the individual‘s personal convictions within the unit. Authors Ferrell, 

Fraedrich and Ferrell (2000) have indicated that: ―When employees think they know the 

right course of action in a situation, yet their work group or company promotes or requires 

unethical decisions, interpersonal conflict will ensue. Often, when these employees follow 

their own values and beliefs and refuse to participate in corporate misconduct, whistle-

blowing may occur.‖ Fraedrich and Ferrell (2000;162) Especially, when employees ―feel 

left out,‖ the condition for ‗whistle blower‘ is then created as employees rationalize that if 

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they cannot discuss with their coworkers or superiors about what they are doing or what 

should be done, then the only other option is to find an avenue outside the organization for 

help. (Ferrell, Fraedrich and Ferrell, 2000). So how does top level management of the 

Service ensures that the value systems governing the sub-systems are in sync with and do 

not work to frustrate the success of the new policy?  

 

As a complement to the above perspective, ‗ethics benchmarking‘ is also considered 

relevant to this research. This proposition is made by Mary Whaley (2007). The rationale 

here is that there are functional areas within the organizations where ethical issues are a 

priority. This is so because at certain levels of the organization when professional and 

corporate ethical standards are violated through unethical conduct, such violations tend to 

hurt the organization most. Hence ‗ethics benchmarking‘ or prioritizing ethics is critical at 

such levels of the organization. This research asserts that reputation analysis is crucial at 

the senior and top management level because when the professionalism of the Civil 

Service is being assessed, people tend to conclude that the good ethical conduct 

managerial leadership is fundamental.  

 

One of the goals of the new Code of Ethics policy is to provide new core values for the 

Civil Service. Yet was alluded to earlier, perceptions still run that the Civil Service is yet 

to achieve maximum success in the implementation of the new Code of Ethics. In the view 

of this investigator, the leadership of Civil Service organizations is required to provide the 

right mind with ‗ethics benchmarking‘ as an indicator to achieving the required ethical 

character of personnel of the Service. Thus this work considers as a useful and 

indispensable management tool the views of Whaley for examining the implementation of 

the Civil Service Code of Ethics. Whaley‘s propositions on ‗ethics benchmarking‘ analysis 

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would thus be a useful tool to measure the specific variables of unethical activity and how 

leaders and managers work to achieve the goals of the new policy initiative of the Civil 

Service. The theory of ‗ethics benchmarking‘ would also be relevant for understanding the 

recommendations of this research and the way forward for the Civil Service organization. 

 

Another theoretical framework relevant to this study is the contemporary theories of 

human resource management (HRM). Within the context of this research, modern HRM 

theories postulate new ways managers of modern organizations should perceive their 

employees. One such theory asserts that employees of organizations are viewed as 

‗stakeholders‘ and that management must consider sharing the Corporate Vision of the 

enterprise with employees as ―partners‖ for success of the business. To this end, 

employees are to be viewed no longer as ―wage labour‖ or ―cost center‖ that has to be 

managed, but as partners. The new HRM dictum is that, unlike other material inputs of the 

organization, workers are human capital, and the most valued of the assets of the 

organization. Hence employees are no longer to be perceived as the company‘s 

―manpower‖ to be managed, as done in the past, through the ―command and control‖ 

structures of the organization. In this regards the strict application of the classical views of 

McGregor‘s Theory ―X‖ or ―Y‖ or ―Taylorism‖ have also been eroded with the emergence 

of ‗people management‘ approaches advocated by modern HRM principles. The new 

management perspective in HRM is thus: ―All roads lead to people.‖ (Ghosh, 2000:19). 

These ‗human centered‘ HRM perspectives for modern organizations are considered 

relevant frameworks for this study. The point being made is that until the Civil Service 

management begins to view employees as ‗assets‘ ‗partners‘ and ‗stakeholders‘ the 

practical results of success in efforts at transforming the Civil Service work culture begin 

to manifest more rapidly. 

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The relevant issue that needs to be addressed is whether management of top level 

management of the ministerial organizations employ modern management principles 

which require the adoption of innovative and integrative methods as ‗empowering,‘ and 

‗mainstreaming‘ workers to enhance ‗ownership‘ to correspond with the introduction of 

the new Code of Ethics policy for the Civil Service? The choice of ethics management 

programme by the leadership is equally of interest to this study. As a sociological study, 

these paradigms would serve as relevant guide for data analysis and the conclusions. 

 

The relevant theoretical perspectives we have navigated so far include the Systems 

Theory, the dominant culture-cum-sub-culture variables, the nuances of ethics 

management and ―ethics benchmarking‖ and modern HRM approaches. The relevance of 

these theoretical perspectives notwithstanding, they have their theoretical, methodological 

and substantive criticisms and limitations. Notwithstanding the various lapses, the theories 

are considered suitable tools that would provide the perspectives for this study.  

 

1.7 HYPOTHESES  

Two hypotheses were tested relating to the second and third objectives of this study. Both 

have been stated in the report in the ‗NOT‘ or negative form as Null Hypothesis (Ho) The 

first hypothesis relates directly to the second objective of the study which is to which is to 

assess the relevance of the new Code of Conduct and Work Ethics to the knowledge, 

attitude and perceptions of the implementers. Hypothesis I: That top level managers of 

the Civil Service do NOT have a low level perception of the Civil Service Code of 

Conduct/Work Ethics policy. 

 

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This is a non-directional (two-tailed) hypothesis which measures the level of perception 

(whether low or high) leaders have about the policy. 

 

The second hypothesis relates to the third objective of the study which requires an 

examination of the adequacy of the strategy adopted by the implementers of the policy 

achieve the goals (objectives) of the policy. Here, we measure the relationship between the 

strategy adopted by the Chief Directors (dependent variable) and the HRM strategy 

approved by the OHCS (Independent variable) for the implementation of the new policy 

as: 

Hypothesis II: That there is NO significant difference between the strategy  

adopted by the Chief Directors and the OHCS Human Resource 

Management strategy for implementation of the Code of 

Conduct/Work Ethics policy. 

 

1.8 DEFINITION OF CONCEPTS 

Within the context of this work, the various concepts and terms used need to be defined 

and well understood in order to provide clear and unambiguous meaning, as follows:  

A. The Guiding Principles of the Code of Conduct include: 

a)  Selflessness: Civil Servants should take decisions solely in terms of the public 

interest. They should not do so in order to gain financial or other material benefits 

for themselves, their family or their friends. 

b) Integrity: Civil Servants should not place themselves under any financial or other 

obligation to any individuals or organizations that might influence them in the 

performance of their official duties, including awarding of contracts, etc. 

c)  Justice and Fairness: 

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In carrying out public business including making public appointments, awarding of 

contracts, recommending individuals for rewards and benefits Civil Servants 

should make choices based solely on merit. 

d)  Accountability: Civil servants shall be responsible to both the Government (the 

employer) and the public (customers) for their decisions and actions, and must 

submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office. 

e)  Transparency: Civil servants should be as open as possible about all the decisions 

and actions that they take. They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict 

access to information only when the wider public interest clearly demands that the 

information should not be released. 

f) Leadership: Civil Servants should strive to excel in all their endeavours to be an 

exampl1 to others and encourage others to follow their footsteps. 

B. Basic Tenets of the Professional Work Ethics: 

Individual Responsibility: Each employee of the Civil Service accepts personal 

responsibility for developing and exhibiting a strong work ethic and affirms his or 

her commitment to combating negative work habits. (OHCS, 1999) Hence any 

person working in the Civil Service of Ghana is committed to:  

1) Reporting for duty punctually and in good time before work begins: 

Workers should avoid habitual lateness to work and meetings, irregular 

attendance, taking more than the average number of sick days/casual leave; and 

using the weather, poor transportation and domestic problems as excuses for 

lateness and irregular attendance. 

2) Devoting, during working hours, full time and attention to the business of 

the organization: No employee should sleep on the job during scheduled 

working hours, be at work but doing no work, deliberately and unduly slow in 

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carrying out an activity or assignment (go-slow; work-to-rule), use or 

exaggerate sickness to avoid duty or work, let time pass without doing anything 

useful or constructive, trade, sell or transact private financial business on the 

premises of the organization, engage in long private conversation with 

colleagues, receive and entertain social visits, bring babies and children to 

office, perform unofficial duties or activities during office hours, read 

newspapers and work lotto numbers, get drunk on the job and/or be under the 

influence of narcotic drugs. eat in the office during official working hours, and 

keep the radio loud as to disturb concentration. 

3) Guarding against absenting himself or herself from work without 

permission or reasonable excuse: It is not permissible to be persistently 

leaving work early, not returning promptly to work after meal breaks and 

approved leave, vacating post and failing to inform competent authority when 

leaving station, and non-opening of service counters in time and leaving 

counters unmanned. 

4) Following and obeying lawful, legitimate or reasonable definite 

instructions, and complying with laid down procedures relating to one‟s 

work: No employee is allowed to engage in sabotaging the efforts of 

colleagues, organization and Government as employer, talking about the stress 

level of daily work, and using this as an excuse for not working, engaging in 

the unproductive comparison of better conditions elsewhere and using this as 

an excuse for not working. 

5) Responding to legitimate requests and demands of members of the public 

with urgency, promptness and timeliness: It is unacceptable for a worker to 

demand or accept gifts of any kind before rendering service, show disregard for 

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deadlines, action steps and target dates, use delay tactics and red-tapeism as an 

excuse for non-responsiveness, being unfriendly, rude and discourteous to 

members of the public and not returning phone calls promptly. 

6) Seeing a task through and having a sense of pride in accomplishing 

assignments every time: Putting off to tomorrow what can be done today and 

now, conducting business and delivering services poorly and ineffectively, 

always hoping for miracles and ―manna‖ to fall from heaven, constitute 

unapproved conduct of employees. 

7) Undertaking tasks in ways that contribute effectively to achieving the 

goals of the organization: No employee shall engage in lackadaisical and 

display an ―I don‘t care‖ attitude, without sense of urgency, gain the reputation 

of one who cannot be ―counted‖ by the organization, refuse to rise to the 

occasion, and intentionally neglecting to do one‘s duty. 

8) Individual Responsibility: Any person working in the Civil Service of Ghana 

is obliged to be personally committed to the chosen profession. Each person in 

the Civil Service of Ghana is expected to accept personal responsibility for 

developing and exhibiting a strong work ethics and affirms commitment to 

combating all negative work habits.  

9) Organizational Culture: The organizational culture is the formal and 

approved way of life exhibited by workers as expected and enforced by an 

organization. (Asare-Bediako, 2000). It involves the learning, transmission and 

acquisition of work-related attitudes, knowledge, beliefs, values and norms that 

constitute the way of life or established formal behavior pattern of workers 

over time. The culture is the obvious and implied rules prescribing for the 

workers ways in which they should behave and treat customers. An 

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organization‘s culture is its ―personality" by which the public knows and 

identifies it. 

10) Code of Conduct: The concept of Code of Conduct as used in this study 

conveys the same meaning as Code of Ethics, Business Ethics, Professional 

Ethics, and Business Code. In the context of this research ‗Code of Conduct‘ 

conveys the same meaning as CONDUCT is used in the ‗Code of Conduct for 

the Ghana Civil Service‘ document which says: ‗CONDUCT is behavior, 

attitudes and character exhibited by anyone within and outside the working 

environment. The standards of conduct generally required of any member of 

the Civil Service would be: Leadership, Selflessness, Competence, Integrity, 

Impartiality, Fairness and Honesty in matters affecting work and status in 

society‘ (OHCS, 1999:5)  

11) Misconduct (or non-compliance): Misconduct in this research has the same 

connotation in the Code of Conduct document as defined in Section 76 of the 

Civil Service Law 1993 (PNDCL 327) as: ―Any act done by a Civil Servant 

without reasonable cause: which amounts to a failure to perform in a proper 

manner any duty imposed on him; or which contravenes any enactment relating 

to the Civil Service; or which is otherwise prejudicial to the efficient conduct 

of the functions of the Civil Service; or which tends to bring the Civil Service 

into disrepute; constitutes misconduct‖. (Section 76 of the Civil Service Law 

1993 (PNDCL 327)   

12) Performance Management System: A Performance Management System 

involves an institutionalized structure of rewards system for employees of an 

organization based on the setting of performance targets through performance 

agreements/annual performance appraisals, customer-based service delivery, as 

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well as business practice and procedures based on the principles of 

competition, impartiality, fair play, justice and human dignity. The MDAs were 

to introduce such business-oriented norms including the democratic values of 

transparency and accountability for compliance by management and workers at 

all levels of the Civil Service. 

13) Benchmarking: Benchmarking is a management tool used worldwide in 

business and government organizations to improve performance outcomes. For 

key officials benchmarking helps them learn best practices, seek the 

commitment to goals by internal and external stakeholders and satisfy 

compliance accountabilities of the enterprise. 

 

1.9 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 

1. The study is significant in that it draws attention to key responsibilities of top leadership 

of the Civil Service who are charged with ensuring the success of the new Code of 

Conduct/Work Ethics policy for which they are to be held accountable. 

2. It has revealed how certain underlying factors contribute to gaps in policy 

implementation and that in a work environment which requires the adoption of principles 

of objectivity and meritocracy, by the leadership their use of largely subjective 

mechanisms has resulted in mediocrity in performance.  

3. The study has provided some in-depth understanding of why the Code of Conduct/Work 

Ethics policy has not successfully transformed the conduct and behavior of most Civil 

Servants. 

4. It has been shown that though the policy is a good mechanism for enhancing 

performance in the Service, the Civil Service, it falls short of being the yardstick or 

framework for the professionalization, ensuring good governance and projecting the good 

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image of the Civil Service. 

5. Finally this work has made some recommendations for improving implementation and 

using the Code of Conduct/Work Ethics as the viable standard for conducting official 

business, enhancing professionalism and achievement of the goals of the policy. 

 

1.10 CHAPTER ORGANIZATION 

The study has been presented in five (5) chapters. Chapter One - the general introduction 

- presents the problem, the objectives of the study, theoretical perspectives, the relevant 

hypotheses to be tested and the key concepts and concludes with the relevance of the 

study. Chapter Two is the outline of relevant literature which was reviewed in order to 

provide insight for the study, Chapter Three outlines the research method involving the 

field work and outlining the analytical tools for the research work and some field problems 

and how they were handled. The field data has been presented, analysed and the 

discussion of findings in Chapter Four. Finally, concluding the report is Chapter Five, 

which carries the summary and conclusions drawn, policy recommendations and future 

research. 

 

 

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CHAPTER TWO 

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 

In the review of literature, a number of works on business ethics and organizational culture 

in both public administration and private businesses are discussed with the view to 

providing lessons for the present research. According to available empirical studies 

modern business organizations are showing growing interest in Codes of Conduct and 

Business Ethics as the appropriate mechanisms for modernizing their businesses and the 

Ghana Civil Service is not an exception. 

 

2.1 Initiatives for Appropriate Conduct/Work Ethics for Ghana Civil Service 

Since the attainment of political independence in 1957, the search for a Civil Service with 

an efficient bureaucracy and public administrative machinery endowed with appropriate 

organizational culture to deliver on its constitutional mandate and corporate goals has been 

pursued. To this end, several administrative and institutional reforms have been 

undertaken. In spite of modest achievements chalked by these reforms Ghana, like most 

other African countries, was adjudged by a World Bank evaluation report in the 1980s to 

have a weak capacity in the design and implementation of national development 

programmes. (Okoh & Lindsey, et al.1974) Despite its desire to ensure professional values 

such as effectiveness, probity, integrity and objectivity, the Civil Service continues to 

project negative images that tend to diminish its status and trust among members of the 

public. Civil Servants are perceived generally and often reported on by the media as 

corrupt, showing little commitment to their duties, lazy and largely exhibiting 

unprofessional attitude in their dealings with clients.  

 

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A number of far reaching initiatives worth reviewing at this juncture, were made to reform 

the Civil Service as mechanisms for arresting deterioration and give the Service fresh 

charter.  Some of these are contained in the Reports of Lidbury, Mills-Odoi Commission 

on the Structure and Remuneration (1967), Okoh Commission on the Structure and 

Procedures of the Civil Service (1974), etc. In 1989, a massive British government 

Overseas Development Agency (ODA) - sponsored Civil Service Reform Programme 

(CSRP) was launched.  In 1995 the Civil service performance Improvement Programme 

(CSPIP) was also launched.  All these reforms were aimed at addressing some of the 

bottlenecks in the Civil Service. The key areas were: Control of the Size of the Civil 

Service; Pay and Grading; Organization and management reform; the Management of 

Retrenchment; and Training (Ayee, 2001:2). These reform measures did not appear to 

achieve much success for the following reasons:  

 

Primarily, the failure of the implementation of the reforms was partly due to the lack of 

leadership and commitment to the reforms by both politicians and Civil Servants (Ayee, 

2001:5); System-wide problems that were not adequately addressed; Insufficient 

budgetary allocation; Failure on the part of the reforms to address the problems of poor 

conditions of service, poor motivation and low morale among Civil Servants; Donors and 

consultants took the center stage in the reforms and copious reports are not implemented; 

and Political instability (Ayee, 1993).  

 

It has been pointed out that ―in Ghana and other African countries, public policies and 

programmes have failed to achieve their objectives largely because the saints political 

leadership and top echelon bureaucrats) are few, the demons (hostile and apathetic groups) 

are many the wizards (policy analysts) are inappropriate and the systems are complex and 

the organizations are weak‖ (Ayee, 2000:1). 

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In recent years, though, the OHCS in collaboration with Ministry of Public Sector 

Reforms (MPSR) has embarked upon to improve and reform the service to enable it to 

deliver the country‘s governance and development agenda. Some of the initiatives include 

the following: 

 

Review of skills mix in the Civil Service with the view to ensuring optimal staffing using 

approved organizational structure of MDAs; Re-centralization of training, recruitment, 

promotion and related budgets to ensure equity, transparency and a uniform standard. It is 

not sufficient merely to place existing staff into new positions without any re-tooling to 

make them effective in those positions; Accelerated Training Programme for the 

Leadership of the Ghana Civil Service to ensure and sustain continuous education to keep 

up with new developments (OHCS, 2007); Service delivery standards and improvements 

to facilitate timely delivery of services in a transparent and customer focused manner and 

to consult their customers and stakeholders on regular basis to get feedback on how to 

improve their services; Pay and pensions system review to make service attractive. 

 

One other report of an in-depth analysis of past administrative reforms by governments to 

create a positive image of the Ghana Civil Service that was reviewed is the ‗Report By 

Evaluation Panel On The Performance Agreement Of Chief Directors.‘ (OHCS, 1998) 

According to report most of the reform initiatives have failed to achieve the desired 

impact. It further offered a four reasons for the failure as: Inadequate political and 

managerial commitment to sustain the reforms; the reforms lacking proper programme 

implementation and especially; weak evaluation of feedback action; and that not much 

was learned and applied from the preceding reforms to ensure sustainability of the gains 

chalked. (OHCS, 1998:3) 

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The conclusion drawn by the report of another in-depth study of the Civil Service Reforms 

which have been implemented in previous years up to 1995, suggests that the reforms 

were predominantly concerned with the structure of the Civil Service, decentralization, as 

well as compensation and remuneration. (OHCS, 1998:2) Rather than improving it, the 

report alluded to the fact that ―much of the reform initiatives failed to address the 

persistent negative culture of the Service.‖ Indeed additional observations made by the 

report about the subsequent Performance Appraisal of Chief Directors in 1999 stated that: 

―…the reforms in Ghana could be said to have been motivated by the ‗annoyance 

principle‘ of the three stages of evolution of state types and their corresponding capacity 

building requirements‖ (OHCS, 1998:4) 

 

2.2 Concerns About Work Ethics in the Public Service in Ghana 

Notwithstanding these and other service-wide reform initiatives, a writer on business 

ethics, (S.N. Woode, 1986 and S.N. Woode, 2005) has made a number of assertions about 

the poor work culture of the leadership of the Ghana Civil Service when he asserts that 

though the object of Public Administration was to provide services that go to improve the 

life of society, the conduct of Ghana‘s Public Administration was characterized by what 

he calls nine ―deficiencies‖ or ―wrongs.‖ They are: ―…a displaced sense of purpose, an 

urban bias, an elite mentality, nepotism, distrust, paternalism, centralization, and disregard 

for time, and an absence of organizational loyalty‖. (Woode, 1986:34) Woode also 

underscored the fact that rather than address such ―deficiencies‖ of poor work ethics in the 

Public Service, they were ―accepted and often spoken of as the normal way of doing 

things.‖ (ibid.) The writer therefore questioned the justifications for the establishment of 

Public Services which he refers to as ―self-serving.‖ He therefore raised four core 

managerial and ethical issues with wider theoretical implications for Public 

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Administration in Ghana. They include: 

1. Whether public servants should pursue their privileges and perquisites of office at 

the expense of the responsibility and obligation to seek and protect the public 

interest; 

2. Whether Public Administration could be described as equitable when there was 

widespread social inequity and injustice in one area of the country whilst others 

have seen rapid development; 

3. Whether there could be a more moral administration which could conduct business 

and deliver services to people humanely, equitably and fairly; and 

4. Whether it was right for public servants to devote official hours to their private 

business or if it was fair to the public for one to take up a full-time job which 

demands an eight hour day and work only 4 or 6 hours? The last two points 3 and 

4, he stated, relate to the need for public servants to perform their duties with 

commitment to a high sense of professional ethics. (Woode, 1986:46) 

 

Though these observations by Woode (1986) were the ―wrongs‖ of Public Administration 

in general, they are of interest to this research as they seem to draw attention to our 

understanding of the poor ethical character and work ethics of some top level Management 

personnel of the Ghana Civil Service today. Thus relevant questions this research wishes 

to pose are: What has changed nearly 20 years after Woode (1986) had made those 

observations? Besides, why is this study bothered with perceived widespread ethical 

misconduct in the Civil Service today, 10 years after the Code of Ethics was introduced? 

Consequently, a concern of the present study is to find out what those who should do 

something about the ‗deficiencies‘- the senior and top level management personnel - are 

doing in addressing the current ‗wrongs or ‗deficiencies.‘ Furthermore, considering the 

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measures currently being used by the Civil Service to implement the new Code of 

Conduct/Work Ethics policy was launched, it is legitimate to ask whether it is possible for 

the leadership of the Service to really transform the poor work ethics of the Civil Service? 

The ensuing discussions focus on some perceptions of ethics management practices by 

organizational leadership. 

 

2.3 Business Organizations Codes and Ethics - Do Leaders Always Practice What 

They Preach – The Myths and Reality. 

i. Preaching or Practices 

Relevant literature on the issue of ethical leadership provides insights into the extent to 

which organizational leadership can go to leverage poor culture and image of their 

organizations. Whereas some point to impressive success stories, others are also describe 

disappointments by some organizations implementing ethics policies. Nevertheless, a lot 

more suggest that the challenges associated with management‘s attempts at addressing 

poor work attitudes and transforming undesirable organizational culture through the 

implementation of otherwise good ethical policies for their organizations has not been 

always smooth. (Carter, 2000) In his contributions, the writer pointed out very forcefully 

that not all organizations practice what they believed in. 

In a survey conducted in Ghana by an accounting and consulting firm KPMG LLP and 

published in the Industry Week Magazine, of June 1, 2000, it was observed that most 

companies which preach ethics do not really practice what they claim to stand for. The 

report states five most common unethical infractions as: ―…sexual harassment, 

employment discrimination, deceptive sales practices, breach of the environment and 

unsafe working conditions‖. According to the report about 61% of those surveyed said 

they did not think their company would discipline individuals who were guilty of an 

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ethical infraction. Nearly as many as 55%   said their Chief Executive Officer (CEO) was 

unapproachable if an employee needed to deliver ‗bad‘ news.‖ (KPMG LLP, June 1, 

2000:15-18) 

The political history of Ghana shows that the 1969 Constitution stated rules of conduct for 

any person seeking to hold public office. This was justified on the grounds that the non-

existence of a recognized Code of Conduct for public officers, especially non-career 

public officers in the past Convention Peoples‘ Party (CPP) regime in particular, ―led to 

abuse of office for personal gain or using public office to personal advantage.‖ (Woode, 

1988:2) As a result of this deficiency, the Jiagge Commission (1969) recommended that ―a 

code of behavior similar to the General Orders applicable to Civil Servants be drawn up 

for the guidance of persons in public life.‖ (Jiagge Report, 1969, 237-238) However, 

notwithstanding the hand-side of history which they had, the men and women who held 

positions of trust and honour under the 1969 Constitution showed little respect for the 

provisions which mandates the declaration of assets and liabilities. It became apparent at 

the Taylor Assets Committee when ―it came to light that some members of cabinet had by 

January 1972, when the constitution was suspended as a result of the military coup d‘etat 

of 13th January 1972, not declared their assets and liabilities to the President, as required 

by the 1969 Constitution. Some did declare, but not everything.‖ (Woode, 1988:5)  

These reports go to affirm the views by Carter which suggest that while it may always be 

desirable, attempts at addressing poor work attitudes or implementing otherwise good 

ethical policies for their organizations is challenging and has not been always smooth. 

(Carter, 2000) 

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ii. TheMyths and Reality  

Literature on the myths that leaders have about business codes of conduct and work ethics 

abound and we wish to review a few relevant ones. Some of these myths may arise from 

general confusion in the minds of managers about the notion of ethics. Other myths may 

also arise from narrow or simplistic views of ethical dilemmas. In theory, how managers 

of organizational culture handle Codes of Ethics at the workplace and what they can do to 

better manage ethics in the workplace may differ in space and time. Wong and Beckman 

in the Journal of Business Ethics of 2008 have observed that: ―…researchers are claiming 

that current literature is filled with strong arguments for more ethical corporate leadership 

and the incorporation of ethics in business curriculum…‖ but what is missing is ‗how to‘ 

in actually putting ethical goals and theories into practical action.‖ (Wong and Beckman, 

2008: 173-178)  

 

One school of thought has offered an explanation to the problem which leaders and 

mangers face in managing ethics in the workplace. They blame it essentially on the 

existing confusion and misunderstanding about the concept and meaning of Business 

Ethics. In this regards, McDonald and Zepp, (1990) in their article: ―What Should Be 

Done? A Practical Approach to Business Ethics‖ which appeared in their publication, 

‗Management Decision,‘ noted that when the topic of business ethics arises in the 

workplace, ―…it tends to bring cynicism, righteousness, paranoia, and laughter‖. The 

article explains further that ―…many leaders and mangers believe that business ethics 

belong to the   domain of religion because it seems to contain a lot of preaching.‖ ( 

McDonald and Zepp, 1990: 9-13)  

 

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Another school of thought has argued that many leaders and managers think business 

ethics is irrelevant. Some literature has reported that Case Studies on ethical dilemmas are 

often presented too simplistic as if every real-life situation on the job is either right or 

wrong such as ―should I lie, cheat or steal?‖ Consequently, many managers believe 

business ethics is irrelevant because much of training courses in business ethics avoid the 

real life complexities that make up the organization‘s working environment. In the light of 

this, Preston Townley (1992), in a speech entitled: ―Business Ethics: Commitment to 

Tough Decisions‖ states that: ―…it ought to be fairly easy to choose between right and 

wrong by relying on principles, but business activity often demands that we select from 

alternatives that which are neither wholly right nor wholly or wrong‖. (Townley, January, 

1992: 208-211) It is significant to note that although some have asserted that leaders fail to 

take business ethics seriously, a lot more evidence shows however that when well-

managed, business ethics can act as preventative medicine for the entire organizational 

system. 

 

One myth worth examining in connection with Business Ethics is that managing it is more 

of a matter for religion rather than management. In addressing this myth, however, Diane 

Kirrane, in "Managing Values: A Systematic Approach to Business Ethics,"(Training and 

Development Journal (November 1990), asserts that "altering people's values or souls isn't 

the aim of an organizational ethics program – but managing values and conflict among 

them is." Kirrane, November, 1990:44) 

 

A second myth is the reasoning by some leaders that their employees are ethical and that 

there was no need for attention to business ethics. But the truth is that ethical dilemmas 

faced by managers in the workplace are highly complex. Wallace (2008) gives three 

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parameters that enable one to know that there is a significant ethical conflict. They include 

the presence of significant value conflicts among different interests; real alternatives that 

are equally justifiable; and that when the issue has major consequences on stakeholders in 

the situation. Kirrane (1990) on the other hand mentions that when the topic of business 

ethics comes up, people are quick to speak of the Golden Rule, honesty and courtesy. But 

when presented with complex ethical dilemmas, most people realize there is a wide "gray 

area" when trying to apply ethical principles. 

 

Another myth worth considering is that business ethics is that business ethics it is a 

discipline best for philosophers, academics and theologians. Largely the lack of 

involvement of leaders and managers in business ethics has led many to believe that 

business ethics is a movement, which has little to do with the day-to-day realities of 

running an organization. The belief is that business ethics is primarily a complex 

philosophical debate or a religion. However, there is every cause to agree that business 

ethics is a management discipline with practical approaches and benefits for businesses 

and communities that include several practical tools.  

 

There are leaders also who believe that Codes of Ethics, or a list of Ethical Values to 

which the organization aspires, are rather superfluous because they represent values to 

which everyone should naturally aspire. However, this view has been counteracted by 

others who argue that the value of a code of ethics to an organization shows its priority 

and focus regarding certain ethical values in the workplace. For example, it is obvious that 

all people should be honest. However, if an organization is struggling around continuous 

occasions of deceit in the workplace, prioritizing honesty becomes appropriate. Honesty 

should then be listed in that organization‘s Code of Ethics. That Code of Ethics as an 

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organic policy must change along the needs of society and organizations are not in doubt. 

The current Civil Service Code of Conduct as has earlier been acknowledged, has been 

implemented for over a decade. In the light of the assertion that organizations are 

dynamic, would the policy need to be reviewed? This work will attempt to verify if top 

level management of the Civil Service have some myths about Code of Conduct/Work 

Ethics policy and how such perception may have contributed to the present state of 

progress made in achieving the goals of the new policy. 

 

Other literature suggests there is a positive correlation between an organizational culture 

and work ethics, employee performance and good corporate image. In underscoring this 

point Asare-Bediako (2002) has argued that ―…a lot of attention has been given to the 

concept of organizational culture largely as a result of its impact on organizational 

effectiveness and that today, most managers believe in and appreciate the power of 

organizational culture in shaping employee beliefs and guiding employee behavior on the 

job.‖ (Asare-Bediako, 2002:297) Suffice it to say that, this conviction is apparently 

catching up with modern business practice, and that the era of strong organizational 

culture has dawned. 

 

In tandem with trends in modern organizational management, the Civil Service Code of 

Conduct/Work Ethics was introduced by the OHCS in 1999 with the objective of 

transforming the work culture of the organization. But what are some of the 

implementation methodologies that have been adopted by the top level management of the 

new policy. Available literature points to a number of options.   

This research work is a sociological study about how relevant the new Civil Service Code 

of Conduct has been to the organizational culture of the Ghana Civil Service. It tries to do 

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an in-depth examination of some of the myths and challenges facing the implementation of 

such a major public sector policy reform initiative. It is further designed to provide an 

evidence-based insight which provides some understanding of the socio-cultural milieu 

and from the viewpoint of the top level Civil Service managers, issues underpinning the 

implementation of the policy. The study also attempts to put forward options for designing 

a make-things-work culture for the Ghana Civil Service and help achieve the policy goals.  

One premise that is guiding this study is that public policy initiatives which tend to 

threaten parochial, albeit, rational interests, power and positions of the ‗Big Men‖ tend to 

fail or become unsuccessful. On the other hand, policies which the ―Big Men‖ perceive 

would allure to their benefit are more likely to receive their blessing. I dare to refer to a 

message at a public spot in Accra which reads: ―If Big Man thief, i take; if Small Man 

take, i thief.‖ This message seems to lend credence to the view that most public 

institutions in Ghana take the character and demeanor of the men at the top. Thus the Civil 

Service in particular wears the semblance of being the ‗masters‘ and seldom as ‗servants‘.  

The perception that public institutions in Ghana are bereft of personnel with the psyche for 

―public service‖ and that instead of being ―service-minded‖ what they demonstrate in 

abundance is evidence of people who are ―self-serving‖ because of their ―having an elite 

mentality has become difficult be serve the people and rather tend to lord it over them. He 

further asserts that ―it used to be the practice of public official letters to end with ‗Your 

Obedient Servant‘ or ‗Your Humble Servant‘, but all that has changed and the change has 

come with a lack of civic sense and professional conscience and worse, a lack of a sense 

of duty towards the public.‖ (Woode, 1986:35-37) The extent to which these observations 

lend credence to the findings of this research is of interest. 

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It further been hypothesized that it is largely the subjective rather than objective rationale 

of top level management that determine the success or failure of the new Civil Service 

Code of Ethics policy. The lack of objectivity, meritocratic and public service-mindedness 

is said to inhibiting service delivery of the Civil Service. Woode again asserts that a closer 

look at organizations reveal that, ―Although it was unethical for any public office holder, 

members of all tribes practice nepotism.‖ (Woode, 1986:38) This, according to him, was