The Rules and Regulations provided to all the civil servants are same, yet there is difference in the performance. Positive minded officers are able to interpret the Rules and Regulations in favour of the case and achieve success, whereas negative minded officers are unable to achieve goals by interpreting the same Rules and Regulations against the case. Discuss with illustrations.

Rules and Regulations are external sources of ethical guidance. The success of civil servants is also dependent on internal sources of guidance like values, conscience and attitude.

Thomas Hobbes has said that laws and rules have ethical basis. Rules and regulations are there to achieve the end of justice. Civil servants must use them to fulfil the obligations under the ‘Social contract’.

Positive-minded officers will possess:

• Empathy and compassion
• Spirit of public service
• Objectivity
• Courage and fortitude
• Dedication and perseverance
• Innovative approach

Negative minded officers will exhibit

• Apathy and insensitiveness
• Bureaucratic attitude, red-tapism
• Negative emotion of greed, anger etc

If there is no fund with the administration for construction of road:

• Negative minded officer will simply use this as an excuse.
• Positive-minded officer will use innovative approach like crowdfunding

Values, attitude and conscience are more important guides and behaviour of civil servants. So civil servant values and aptitude must be adopted well in civil service.