Report on Governance Structures for Values and Ethics

The directorate of liaison, evaluation and accountability in the Office of Public Services Values and Ethics (OPSVE) has undertaken a study of departmental practices in managing values and ethics in the federal public service. The study was requested by the Senior Official community in 2005 and provides departments and agencies, who are either just starting out or who are re-evaluating their own governance structures, with guidance on governance models and considerations to assist them in making informed decisions about what might work best within their organizations.

OPSVE does not endorse any particular governance or structural model for implementing values and ethics in federal organizations. Indeed, OPSVE research to date reveals that it may not be the structure or governance of a discreet departmental office of VE in and of itself that contributes to a high level of values and ethics performance, but the degree to which day to day management practices that promote organizational Values and Ethics are integrated into departments’ approaches to doing business that has the greatest influence on outcomes.