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that accordingly, field visits will provide opportunities to acquire up to date knowledge of the situation, to discuss operational problems, to listen to grievances expressed, to get the feel of morale, to thank and encourage staff;
that individuals need to realise, accept and draw strength from the fact that they are one of a corporate body. The corporate feeling, team spirit, can only be engendered by positive leadership, by moral integrity and by the determina- tion of all staff, to face up to unpleasant truths, to reveal such truths and to work together to overcome problems and achieve objectives.
6.24 Field visits are of course not the only means by which leadership can be
projected. Systems can be developed by which staff can meet both their senior officers and their juniors informally and openly. Within onc department it was observed that a system of "courtesy calls" exists. The system requires every officer before going on leave, on return from leave, before going on or return from a course, etc. to pay a call on one or two senior officers above him. They can talk openly, float ideas, express grievances, etc. and thus a flow of information develops from all levels of the department to the top. Another area of improved staff communications has been the formation of staff consultative councils in Departments. Once a Head of Department accepts the concept of account- ability downwards in the terms described and demonstrates his recognition to the staff, forces will almost certainly come into play which ensure that it permeates to all levels.
6.25 Motivation of staff is a fundamental aim of good personnel management.
Civil servants may be motivated by fear of loss of employment, or other disciplinary steps, but they are more easily motivated by what they can discern in their jobs as opportunities to enable them to develop their potential to the full. As aids to fostering the practice of account- ability, the following should be kept firmly in mind :-
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It is more likely that a supervisor will accept responsibility if he has a part to play in formulating his work objectives and his "Job Description". "Participative decision making" is one of the keys to fostering greater personal commitment to work and in developing a positive interest by individuals in the task they perform.
Supervisors and operational staff quickly become despondent when they are given unrealistically difficult tasks; laws which are, in practice, unenforceable, being an arch example. This underlines the need for senior management to create as many channels as possible to enable them to reappraise goals, to keep objectives in line with reality.
The "iron rice bowl" nature of Government service creates conditions in which some civil servants only do the minimmļ to get by and attempt to "keep their noses clean" by avoiding responsibility or calling to attention situations which Light reflect upon them adversely. It is a mistake to believe that this is merely the public's view of the civil service; in discussions within this assignment, it was clear that this attitude was still prevalent amongst civil servants.
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