Managing for results but with neutrality: a study of moral values of Gippsland local government managers

This paper is a modest attempt to empirically study moral values of local government managers that inform their actions. The research identifies four dimensions of public management morality: anonymity, partisanship, obedience and process/results emphasis. These dimensions are developed in terms of a continuum of three moral ideal types: service, neutrality, and technocratic. Data was collected from the six local government units of the Gippsland region of Victoria. Based on the information supplied from these shires,"31 'senior officers' (including CEOs) were identified. A pre-tested questionnaire was sent to all of them and 19 completed forms (61%) were returned that represented all the six shires. Of these 19 respondents, 16 agreed to be the subject of semi-structured interview. Interview responses clarified many puzzles that arose out of survey data. Empirical findings indicate that the dominant morality pattern is 'neutrality' mixed with the resultselement of the technocratic pattern. Contrary to the view of some observers, the traditional public service values such as non-partisanship, conditional obedience have not disappeared, rather they have been complimented by the addition of such new values as emphasis on results. Serving public interest, managers believe, is not one of their concerns rather is primarily a responsibility of councillors.