'Ethical standards in public life need constant reinforcement'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/jan/15/ethical-standards-in-public-life-report

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It's no longer credible, if it ever was, for a leader of an organisation to say they "didn't know" what was going on when an ethical scandal breaks. Look at the incredulity that greeted George Entwistle when he said he wasn't aware of the problems with Newsnight, or the astonishment at James Murdoch's evidence to the culture, media and sport select committee.

My committee has been reviewing best practice in promoting high ethical standards, trying to identify what actually works in driving high standards of behaviour in organisations. Our report will be published on 17 January. Our remit is confined to the public sector, but the same lessons apply more widely.

The past two decades have seen a proliferation of codes and guidance about how people in public office are expected to behave. The principles of public life originally enunciated by Lord Nolan in 1995 – integrity, selflessness, openness and the rest – have been widely promulgated and regulators created, at some cost to the taxpayer.

But instances of poor behaviour continue. The past few months have seen issues relating to a number of our key institutions – the police, the BBC, the press – some of which previously enjoyed high levels of public trust. Looking further back, we have had "loans for peerages", MPs' expenses and persistent doubts about lobbying. The Mid Staffs inquiry is expected to raise major issues about the NHS.

In some cases, those whose integrity has been called into question seem to have behaved inappropriately not because they were unaware of what was expected, but because they did not find it expedient. In others, inappropriate behaviour has taken the form of deliberate attempts to get round the rules, implying that the Nolan principles are far from being fully internalised. Or such behaviour has been followed by attempts to cover it up – making matters worse. Many of the public see truthfulness as one of the most important ethical standards. Even where there has been no apparent dishonesty, leaders of some organisations have evidently failed to inculcate a culture in tune with public expectations.

We like to think that, compared with many other countries, we enjoy high standards in public life in the UK. In some respects that belief is justified, but there is a great deal more still to be done.

An organisation's ethical responsibilities can't be just ticked off with an induction session or the distribution of a code of conduct. Recent research with the 2010 intake of MPs found many thought ethical conduct was "common sense" or a "matter of personal integrity". But not everyone arrives with the same values. High ethical standards require constant attention and reinforcement.

We don't need more codes or regulators. We need people at the top of organisations, in whatever sector, who consistently personify the values the organisation professes to follow. We need processes for promotion that reflect and reinforce those values; and we need open cultures, in which staff can discuss ethical issues and help identify potential problems without always having to escalate concerns formally.

These are, or ought to be, key questions for governance. Ethical issues need to feature as regular items on board agendas. Risks associated with poor standards need to be included in risk assessments, with appropriate mitigating strategies in place.

Individuals at all levels must be prepared to speak up and challenge inappropriate behaviour when an institution's integrity is at risk. But senior managers, and particularly independent board members and governors, have a particular responsibility and need to ensure there are systems in place that will bring any problems to their attention.

As one of the contributors to our review said: "Where ethics are concerned, a crack at the top can rapidly widen into a chasm at the bottom." As a leader, you can't be the last to know.

The fourteenth report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life: Standards matter: a review of best practice in promoting good behaviour in public life, will be published on 17 January.

• Sir Christopher Kelly is the outgoing chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, public-standards.org.uk