ABSTRACT

This chapter explores the commitment of individual public professionals to public service, in particular the values that find most influential in their work. It discusses on the environmental context of professional public service, professional integrity, and the concept of public professionals as agents of change. The chapter examines the characteristics of human behavior and the societal environment surrounding professional public service, and discusses preserving one's sense of professional integrity while dealing with challenging, complex issues. Three aspects of the public service environment helps in applying public service values to current issues in the workplace are: accessible and open or excluding and closed governance system, environmental context is the prevailing attitude about the role of government in society, and acceptance of, or resistance to, public professionalism. The chapter concludes by examining the value of empathy using a case study of the branch manager of a state social services agency to illustrate application of the public service values.