Traits of an Effective Inspector General

On Oct 12, 1978, the Inspector General Act of 1978 (Act) became law and appointment of Inspectors General (IG) by the President, with advice and consent of Congress, became mandatory. It required that IGs be appointed, without regard to political affiliation and solely on the basis of integrity and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe journal of government financial management Vol. 64; no. 3; p. 46
Main Author Harris, Matthew D
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Alexandria Association of Government Accountants 01.10.2015
Subjects
Effectiveness
Managers
Personality traits
Political appointments
Politics
Public officials
Success
Success factors
United States > US
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Summary:On Oct 12, 1978, the Inspector General Act of 1978 (Act) became law and appointment of Inspectors General (IG) by the President, with advice and consent of Congress, became mandatory. It required that IGs be appointed, without regard to political affiliation and solely on the basis of integrity and demonstrated ability in accounting, auditing, financial analysis, law, management analysis, public administration and investigations. The Act requires an IG possess these experiences, but success cannot be guaranteed based on experience alone. In December 2012, a qualitative study explored the experiences, impediments to success and possibilities for improvement for state, local and federal IGs. An excerpt from the study is presented and addresses the question: What factors contribute to a successful and effective IG? Five findings are presented and integrated with existing literature on IGs, including: 1. interpersonal and communicative skills, 2. personal independence, 3. learning the organization, 4. building and developing relationships, and 5. respect for the mission of the inspector general function.
ISSN:1533-1385