Statesmanship is congruent with Christianity. Honesty, fairness, transparency, and accountability are characteristics of a good Christian and a good statesman. A statesman, or politician, often must act for the good of the many while facing admonishment from the few. Administrators must be not only active but also willing to take risks for the establishment of the common good (Newswander, 2012, p868). Chad Newswander (2012) also states in his article that James Ceaser defines statesmanship as being “the art of directing matters to promote the public interest” and “educating or ennobling the public” (p. 867).
Public administrators are obligated not only to achieve efficiency and effectiveness but to be responsive to the many stakeholders who help define the public interest and discuss the concerns that administrators need to keep in mind as they meet this obligation (Denhardt et al, 2014). When public administrators take an oath to uphold the Constitution, they are making a moral commitment to the continuance of constitutional processes that encompass particular values, beliefs, and interests. This commitment is expressed in practical terms through their fidelity to duty in die administration of governmental institutions, including the values embodied in the Constitution (Newbold, 2010). However, this constitutive character of statesmanship can be at odds with the principle of restraint. It is a delicate balance, and this is why administrators must be equipped with a proper understanding of their roles in a constitutional republic: managerial, political, and legal (Newswander, 2012, p. 869). The ability to grapple with situations that are ambiguous requires administrators to be conscious and cognizant of actions that might be suspect but necessary to accomplish the public interest (Newswander, 2012, p. 869).
A government that is really democratic is also an efficient government: it is sensitive to popular demand, and it realizes popular will with intelligence, honesty, economy, and dispatch. Contrariwise, a really efficient government is also democratic: it ministers to the real needs of the people it represents (Newbold, 2010).
Khalib Fisher (2010) explains in his article, “since every strength is a weakness and every weakness is a strength, we should be mindful of that when we interact with others. Rather than butting heads because of our differences, we should instead learn to appreciate those differences because, in many ways, we can shore up each other’s weaknesses when we work together.” Values and ethics are intertwined. Ethical perspectives provide a framework of values by which to make decisions for society (and organizations). There are three basic ethical perspectives: A Rights-based perspective, a Justice perspective, and a covenantal perspective. Each of these plays an important role and holds a specific purpose.
References
Denhardt, J. V., Denhardt, R. B., and Blanc, T. A. (2014). Public Administration. An Action Orientation. 7th ed. Wadsworth Cengage.
Fisher, K. (2010). “A Biblical-Covenantal Perspective on Organizational Behavior & Leadership”. Faculty Publications and Presentations
Newbold, S. P. (2010). “Toward a Constitutional School for American Public Administration.” Public Administration Review, 70(4), 538-546,521. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2010.02174.x
Newswander, C. B. (2012). “Moral Leadership and Administrative Statesmanship: Safeguards of Democracy in a Constitutional Republic”. Public Administration Review, 72(6), 866–874. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41688015