This article is written by Naomi Burchett, Senior Policy Officer, Department of Education and Training (Victoria, Australia) – currently on leave of absence while living in Europe. This article is one of the finalists in Apolitical’s Young Government Leaders writing competition.

Can I ask you a question?

Imagine your friend really, really wants a videographer for their wedding, but can’t afford one. If you had access to a camera from your government workplace, a camera you knew wasn’t being used, would you borrow that camera to film the wedding for free?

Or perhaps you work in a school where a child who desperately needs, but doesn’t have one-to-one support. If your best friend’s daughter had four years’ experience and could start immediately, would you hire her today to stop the child missing out on their education?

These aren’t simple yes-no questions. In the Department of Education and Training in Victoria Australia, we use these questions as exercises — called “Integrity Moments” — to prompt discussion about the values that govern our work as public servants and how we apply them. We ask these questions at the start of team meetings to discuss and help us ground our organisation’s values — impartiality, accountability and integrity — in our day-to-day routine of delivering projects, programs and policy reforms.

Although some knew what was happening wasn’t right, many didn’t have the support or empowerment to act on this feeling

Faced with a never-ending onslaught of sensationalist headlines and cynical tweets, it feels like society is losing faith in our public institutions, even as the need for them grows in the face of complex policy questions. As public servants in this environment, one of the most important things we can do is to maintain and develop a shared language that promotes integrity.

Effective systems for ethical decision-making and accountability require careful thought and tuning. Integrity Moments are one of the tools we use to build the culture around these systems. In particular, they improve awareness of corrupt behaviour, provide a mechanism for building public trust and enable leadership at all levels of the organisation.

Integrity moments

This practice was born in a difficult time. In 2015 an independent anti-corruption commission reported that a small number of officials in my department had used some schools to re-route cash for their own personal gain. This conduct was enabled by a mixture of weak financial controls and cultural issues. Further investigation revealed that the department’s procurement systems had also enabled cases of collusion between public and private sector individuals.

Today, the systemic failings have been addressed and the corrupt individuals removed. But the cultural impact ran deep; the corruption exhibited in both cases impacted and implicated rank-and-file public servants. Some were ordered to follow instructions, which enabled procurement processes to be circumvented. Others were intimidated from raising concerns. Although some knew what was happening wasn’t right, many didn’t have the support or empowerment to act on this feeling.

The introduction of Integrity Moments is part of a cultural change program implemented to stop a situation like this from re-occurring. Integrity Moments are designed to provide an awareness of what unethical behaviour looks like in day-to-day practice. They help staff to think critically about how their actions may be perceived and how to identify concerning behaviours.

According to Transparency International’s 2019 Corruption Index, many countries show “little to no” improvement in addressing corruption

Integrity Moment discussions can occur between staff from different teams, functions and professional backgrounds. Integrity Moments happen at all levels of the organisation. They can be discussed at the start of a team meeting, between two colleagues or by the executive board. Usually an Integrity Moment focuses on one question, which can be read from prepared cards or brought in from someone’s personal experience. Often prompting questions are used to facilitate the start of the conversation, but once the discussion begins to flow, the challenge is usually wrapping up.

The discussions are never the same; some can involve people sharing relatable stories, others involve diving deeper into the scenario. Two things, however, are always the same: ensuring that we show respect for each person around the table and a genuine commitment to understanding how each member has applied our values to their contention and what that might then look like in our day-to-day practice.

Changing perceptions of corruption

In this way, these discussions provide a sense of trust and shared language that helps individuals feel confident enough to raise concerns where required. The discussion helps create a framework for making decisions about whether an action is ethical and a method for communicating how that action may contravene the department’s values.

According to Transparency International’s 2019 Corruption Index, many countries show “little to no” improvement in addressing corruption. In 2019, 21 countries significantly worsened their scores, including places like Canada and Australia. The perception citizens have that corruption is prevalent in our governments is a significant challenge facing the public sector. Now more than ever, it is important for us to communicate a sense of integrity.

Integrity Moments allow us to take an objective look at the rationale behind our actions and examine how this relates back to our objectives. If we apply these lessons to community consultation, we can address concerns that policy development is unduly influenced by private interests by ensuring that all voices are heard.

Providing equal representation and objective discussion can lead to a greater sense of trust between the public sector and the people we support. This in turn can lead to greater public participation and support of policies, contributing to a more inclusive society and economy.

Finally, Integrity Moments are an effective way to develop leadership at all levels. They challenge the assumption that authority equals leadership, shifting the focus onto how leadership can be demonstrated through critical and analytical thought. This enables teams to challenge, encourage and coach each other without fear of reprimand.

Maybe your answer to my initial question was obvious: you wouldn’t use public resources for private gain (no matter how good the cause), and with due process, it might be appropriate for you to hire your best friend’s daughter.

However, the answers aren’t always so straightforward. By taking the time to discuss how each individual arrives at their answer, you can build a shared sense of trust and leadership within your organisation that embeds its values into your day-to-day work. We need to ensure that these ethical decision-making principles continue to be embedded in the foundations of our interactions with the public and the advice we provide to government.

By maintaining a focus on integrity, we can maintain, perhaps even improve, public trust in our institutions as we turn to face the complex policy challenges of the next decade. — Naomi Burchett

(Picture credit: Death to the Stock Photo)