Ethics in public management

Abstract

This article aims to discuss the subject of ethics in the context of public organizations, built on two main pillars: the Brazilian Federal Constitution and the legal framework of the Ethics Management System of the Federal Executive Power. To carry out their duties, public servants, in addition to technical qualifications, need political and ethical skills. This article is the result of a research that had the following objectives: to understand the meanings of ethics and public ethics for public servants and to identify the importance and difficulties for the exercise of ethics in the work process developed. This is an exploratory research using a qualitative approach. Information collection was carried out with semi-structured interviews, and the data collected analyzed by content analysis, in the thematic analysis mode. The research results supported reflections to help future decisions related to the studied topic, considering the objective of disseminating the importance of complying with the ethical precepts that should underpin the performance of public servants. The conclusive arguments support the need for a broad discussion of the topic of “Ethics” within the public reach and the urgency to promote postures aimed at improving relationships, reinforcing critical and reflective thoughts in the work process based on ethical imperatives.