Accountability in public sector organizations: does ethical work climate matter?

PurposeThis study aimed to examine the relationship between ethical work climate and accountability in public sector organizations. The study was undertaken in municipal local governments due to their importance in the provision of public services to communities, yet they continue to face public accountability challenges, especially in developing countries.Design/methodology/approachThe study applied a quantitative research methodology, collecting data using a structured questionnaire. Data were obtained from 521 respondents in 88 municipal local governments in Uganda. The data was analyzed first using Statistical Package for Social Scientists to ascertain correlations and later transferred to the smart partial least squares (PLS) analysis tool to test study hypotheses using PLS structural equation modeling.FindingsStudy results revealed a positive and significant relationship between ethical work climate and its three conceptualized factors namely, caring, law and code and rules and public accountability. The implication is that an ethical work climate that values the provisions of laws, codes and organizational rules, along with responsible staff, is likely to uphold public accountability. The study recommended that public managers need to take into consideration the role of each ethical work climate factor, to enhance and sustain public accountability. This includes factors such as nurturing the caring staff attitude, implementing the requirements of laws and codes to which the organization and its staff subscribe, as well as the requirements of internal organizational rules.Research limitations/implicationsThe current study has some limitations that can provide a foundation for further research. The study focused only on municipal local governments, excluding other types of public sector entities. It may be found necessary to carry out related studies in other types of public sector entities. The study applied a quantitative research design to investigate the association between ethical work climate and public accountability. Whereas the methodology was found suitable by the researchers, it is also probable that other studies can be undertaken applying a qualitative or a mixed methods approach.Practical implicationsFrom the practical perspective, the study has shown that an ethical work climate has the potential to influence accountable behavior at the individual staff level and consequently at the overall organizational level. Each of the three dimensions of ethical work climate examined in the study, which are caring, law and code and rules, positively and significantly contributes to ethical behavior and accountability in public sector institutions. The culmination of all these factors provides an ethical work climate within which organizational members are expected to conduct themselves as they perform their roles to enable government institutions to be accountable to the public.Social implicationsIt is paramount for managers in public sector entities to ensure that: (1) laws, regulations and codes that directly affect their public organizations are adequately reviewed to ensure that employees are fully informed of their requirements and trained for compliance, (2) key ethical requirements on staff behavior are well elaborated within the internal policies and guidelines and widely circulated within the public organization and all staff sensitized on how to adhere to such requirements, (3) penalties for non-compliance with laws, regulations and internal policies are clearly spelled out in the internal policies, manuals and guidelines.Originality/valueThe study makes a distinct contribution to explaining public accountability in public sector organizations with a focus on municipal local governments in developing countries, to complement existing literature that has majorly been from developed countries.