ABSTRACT
This study investigated how culture influences the enforcement of code of ethics at the Ministry of Health (MOH).Using the qualitative approach, the case study design option was employed to examine the phenomena in depth. Primary data was collected through in-depth interviews with various officials at the Ministry of Health headquarters in Accra. Through a review of existing documents, reports and other scholarly publications, the primary data was effectively triangulated. Analysis of data was done through the thematic process. The study found that several cultural factors influence the enforcement of code of ethics at the MOH. These include but not limited to, respect for age, gender, religion, obligations to family and other social activities like funerals, festivals, outdooring and the disregard for time.These findings mirror how the cultural orientation of the citizenry influence the manner in which code of ethics are enforced. Thus, the enforcement of code of ethics in dealing with unethical conduct by officials at the MOH is also subject to the cultural factors that exist in the Ghanaian context.
The mind-set of the typical Ghanaian is shaped by his cultural outlook. This sometimes possess a challenge with the enforcement of code of ethics. In managing these cultural influences with the enforcement of code of ethics at the ministry, officials adopted various strategies to minimize the unethical practice. These include ethical education for employees, reviewing code of ethics to integrate cultural concerns and stiffer and consistent punishment for offenders to ward off future offenders.
CHAPTER ONE GENERAL INTRODUCTION
Introduction and Background
Civil servants have a number of ethical standards to which they are expected to conform to in the performance of their official duties. These ethical standards are usually expressed in code of ethics, which provide a framework for ensuring acceptable conduct, attitude and behavior by these officials, as they serve the public (Cooper & Yoder, 2002;Menzel, 2014). According to Kumassey, Bawole & Hossain (2017), code of ethics help civil servants solve complex situations, and serve as a compass that indicates the action which should be taken in such situations.
However, the enforcement of code of ethics is contingent on several factors. These include individual factors such as personal goals, knowledge and values; organizational factors such as leadership, modes of enforcement and organizational culture; and also, the general culture of the country within which the codes are enforced (Boateng 2018). Of these, the general culture of a country has been found to be very profound in determining the extent to which codes of ethics are enforced (Asamoah et al., 2014; Sakyi &Bawole, 2010). Perry (2015), opines that as part of a unified system (the society), there is an important interplay, and in some cases conflict between codes of conduct, procedures and expectations on one hand and cultural values, norms and practices on the other hand and that affects their application. This suggests that the extent to which ethical codes are enforced, depends on cultural contexts and disposition of the people.
In his classic study of the role of culture in organizational behavior, Hofstede (2017) provides an in-depth discussion of culture on employee’s conduct. By defining culture, as “collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another” (2017), Hofstede suggests that culture connects people in an organization and the nation at large by their philosophies and ideologies and procedures. Therefore, enforcement of ethical standards among civil servants is largely influenced by cultural factors, which include the values, beliefs, norms, and attitudes that underlie them. Hofstede’s work (2017) reinforces the position that the extent to which code of ethics are enforced is very much determined by the cultural milieu of any given country.
