Ethical skills and spiritual intelligence: levers of transparency and responsibility for the commitment of public agents

Abstract

In a context where transparency and accountability represent fundamental requirements for public governance, ethical competencies and spiritual intelligence play a decisive role in shaping public employees’ engagement. This article explores their integration within competency management as a means to enhance the quality of Morocco’s public service. Ethical competencies enable public agents to make fair and responsible decisions in complex situations, while spiritual intelligence fosters an approach grounded in self-awareness, compassion, and a genuine sense of service. In the Moroccan public administration, current reform efforts emphasize the modernization of managerial practices and the strengthening of integrity among public servants. Given the complexity of the topic, this study is based on a narrative literature review with an integrative orientation, combining critical and thematic analysis of existing scholarly works. The analysis leads to the development of a conceptual model structured around six hypotheses: (H1) ethical competencies positively influence transparency and accountability; (H2) spiritual intelligence exerts a positive influence on transparency and accountability; (H3) transparency and accountability foster public employees’ engagement; (H4) ethical competencies have a direct positive effect on public employees’ engagement; (H5) spiritual intelligence also positively affects engagement; and (H6) competency management moderates the relationship between transparency, accountability, and engagement by strengthening their positive link. Finally, the article highlights the need for empirical validation of the proposed model through future research and offers recommendations for integrating these ethical and spiritual levers into public management practices, with the aim of building a more effective, accountable, and socially aligned public administration.

Classification JEL : E24, H00, H83, J24, O15.

Paper type: Theoretical Research