A key question for local agencies is the degree to which ethical standards influence decision-making by both the agency and individuals within the agency.  The Institute for Local Government and International City/County Management Association have developed a tool to assist agencies in answering this question.

The assessment will either provide reassurance that the agency’s ethical house is in order or an indication of potential ethical blind spots that, if left un-addressed, could lead to embarrassment or worse down the road.

The idea is to ask an agency’s employees and decision-makers to answer the questions in the pod at right forthrightly. The results can be tabulated and aggregated for feedback to agency management on the internal ethical culture of the agency. The agency will also be able to assess changes in this culture over time. Individual responses should not be made available to management, however.