WRITE UP ON
ETHICAL ISSUES IN ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
SUBMITTED BY:Shweta S Bhandari Roll no-005 IV Semester
Professional Ethics:
Ethical issues in OD are concerned with how practitioners perform their helping relationship with organization members. Inherent in any helping relationship is the potential for misconduct and client abuse. OD practitioners can let personal values stand in the way of good practice or use the power inherent in their professional role to abuse (often unintentionally) organization members. Ethical Guidelines: To its its cred credit it,, the the fiel field d of OD alway alwayss has has show shown n conce concern rn for for the the ethi ethical cal conduct conduct of its its practitioners. There have been several articles and symposia about ethics in OD. In addition, stat statem ement entss of ethi ethics cs gover governi ning ng OD prac practi tice cess have have been been spons sponsor ored ed by the the Orga Organi niza zati tion on Development Institute, the American Society for Training & Development and a consortium of professional associations in OD. The consortium has jointly sponsored an ethical code derived from a large-scale project conducted at the Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions at the Illinois Institute of Technology- The project's purposes included preparing critical incidents describing ethical dilemmas and using that material for professional and continuing education in OD, providing an empirical basis for a statement of values and ethics for OD professionals, and initiating a process for making the ethics of OD practice explicit on a continuing basis. Ethical Dilemmas: Although adherence to statements of ethics helps prevent the occurrence of ethical problems, OD practitioners still encounter ethical dilemmas. Figure 1 is a process model that explains how ethical dilemmas can occur in OD. Fig1
The antecedent conditions include an OD practitioner and a client system with different goals, values, needs, skills, and abilities. During the entry and contracting phase these differences may or may not be addressed and clarified. If the contracting process is incomplete, the subsequent intervention process or role episode is subject to role conflict and role ambiguity. Neither the client nor the OD practitioner is clear about respective responsibilities. Each party is pursuing different goals, and each is using different d ifferent skills and values to achieve those goals. The role conflict and ambiguity may produce different types of ethical dilemmas in O. D. practice stemming from the actions of either the con sultant or client or both: Misrepresentation, Misuse of data Coercion Collusion Promising unrealistic outcomes Deception and conflict of values and Professional/technical ineptness. • • • • • • •
Misrepresentation: Misr Misrep epre rese sent ntat atio ion n occu occurs rs when when OD prac practi titi tion oner erss clai claim m that that an interv intervent ention ion will will produc producee result resultss that that are unreas unreasonab onable le for the change change progra program m or the situation. The client can contribute to the problem by portraying inaccurate goals and needs. In either case, one or both parties are operating under false pretenses and an ethical dilemma exists. Misrepresentation is likely to occur in the entering and contracting phases of planned chan change ge when when the the init initia iall cons consul ulti ting ng rela relati tion onsh ship ip is bein being g esta establ blis ishe hed. d. To prev preven entt misrepresentation, OD practitioners need to gain clarity about the goals of the change effort and to explore openly with the client its expected effects, its relevance to the client system, and the practitioner's competence in executing the intervention.
Misuse of Data: Misuse of data occurs when information gathered during the OD process is used punitively. Large amounts of information are invariably obtained during the entry and diagnostic phases of OD. Although most OD practitioners value openness and trust, it is important that they be aware of how such data are going to be used. It is a human tendency to use data to enhance a power position. Leaking inappropriate information can be harmful to individuals and to the organization. It is easy for a consultant, under the guise of obtaining information, to gather data about whether a particular manager is good or bad. When, how, or if this information can be used is an ethical dilemma not easily resolved. To minimize misuse of data, practitioners should reach agreement up front with organization members about how data collected during the change process will be used. This agreement should be reviewed periodically in light of changing circumstances.
Collusion: An example of collusion would be the consultant agreeing with key client to schedule a team-building workshop when it is known that a certain departmental head would be on vacation. If O. D. interventions are perceived as methods for “getting” anyone, the O.D process is doomed to fail.
Coercion: Coercion occurs when organization members are forced to participate in an OD intervention. People should have the freedom to choose whether to participate in a change
program if they are to gain self-reliance to solve their own problems. Management should not decide unilaterally for members. However, freedom to make a choice requires knowledge about OD. Many organization members have little information about OD interventions, what they involve, and the nature and consequences of becoming involved with them. This makes it imperative for OD practitioners to educate clients about interventions before choices are made for implementing them. Coerc Coercio ion n also also can can pose pose ethi ethica call dile dilemm mmas as for for the the help helpin ing g rela relati tion onsh ship ip betw between een OD practitioners and organization members. Inherent in any helping relationship are possibilities for excessive manipulation and dependency, two facets of coercion. An effective way to resolve the first aspect of the dilemma is to make the change effort as open as possible, with the free consent and knowledge of the individuals involved. The second facet of coercion that can pose ethical dilemmas for the helping relationship involves dependency. To resolve dependency issues, consultants can openly and explicitly discuss with the client how to handle the dependency problem, especially what the client and consultant expect of one another. Another approach can be by changing the client's expectation from being helped or controlled by the practitioner to a greater focus on the need to manage the problem. Such a refocusing can reinforce the understanding that the consultant is working for the client and offering assistance that is at the client's discretion.
Promising Promising unrealistic unrealistic outcomes: outcomes: Obviously, this is unethical & counter-Productive the temp tempta tati tion on to make make prom promis ises es in orde orderr to gain gain a clie client nt contr contrac actt can can be great great,, but the consequences consequences can be reduced reduced credibilit credibility y of the consultant consultant and the reduced credibility credibility of the key client within the organisation as well as the O. D field. Thus, the values underlying ethical ethical O. D. practice practice are: honesty, openness, voluntarism, voluntarism, integrity integrity,, confidentia confidentiality lity,, the development development of people and the development of consultant consultant expertise, expertise, high standards & selfselfawareness. Deception and value Conflict: This ethical conflict occurs when the purpose of the change effort is not clear or when the client and the practitioner disagree over how to achi achieve eve the the goal goals. s. The The impor importa tant nt pract practic ical al issu issuee for for OD cons consul ulta tant ntss is whet whethe herr it is justifiable to withhold services unilaterally from an organization that does not agree with their values or methods.
Professional/Technical Ineptness: This final ethical dilemma occurs when OD practitioners try to implement interventions for which they are not skilled or when the client attempts a change for which it is not ready. Critical to the success of any OD program is the selection of an appropriate intervention, which depends, in turn, on careful diagnosis of the organization. Select Selecting ing an interv intervent ention ion is closel closely y relate related d to the practi practitio tioner' ner'ss own values values,, skills skills,, and abilities. In solving organizational problems, many OD consultants emphasize a favorite intervention or technique, such as team building, total quality management, or self managed teams. They let their own values and beliefs dictate the change method, Technical ineptness dilemmas also can occur when interventions do not align with the ability of the organization to implement them. Again, careful diagnosis can reveal the extent to which the organization is ready to make a change and possesses the skills and knowledge to implement an ethical dilemma that arises frequently in OD
Ethical dilemmas and the OD Process
Isolation of ethical dilemmas at various stages of the OD process requires examination not only of the relationship between the consultant and the client system but also of how this relationship changes as OD progresses. The process relational model illustrates 10 stages of OD that deal with the conceptual framework of most organizational organizational change methodologi methodologies es (i.e., (i.e., diagnosis, diagnosis, interventi intervention, on, evaluation, evaluation, etc.). Moreover, it focuses more fully on the role relationship between the parties involved (i.e. initiation, clarification, termination, etc.). Also implicit in the process relational model is the consultant consultant-clien -clientt system system relationshi relationship p in any organizati organizational onal change effort-a relationshi relationship p that represents a collection of continuous interrelated activities in which both the consultant and the client system play their part or role in order to reach a predetermined outcome. Figure2. A Process Process Relational Model of Organizational Development
Table 1 depicts 10 stages of change, the appropriate role behaviors for consultants and client systems, and the possible ethical dilemmas that can occur at these various stages. Each of the 31 ethical ethical dilemm dilemmas as belong belong to the major major catego categorie riess of ethica ethicall dilemm dilemmas as previo previousl usly y discus discussed sed.. Implicit in the various dilemmas is the notion that ethical dilemmas are produced not only by consultants but by client systems as well. Also implicit is the notion that several of the dilemmas mentioned are closely related to other dilemmas at the various stages of change. The utility of Table 1, therefore, is to isolate the occurrence of these dilemmas at specific stages of change, as the nature of the relationship between the client system and the consultant changes.
Table1. Organizational Development Change Stages, Appropriate Role Behaviors, and Possible Ethical Dilemmas Stage Purpose Role of Role of Client Dilemmas Consultant System 1) In Init itia iati tion on
2) Clar Clarif ific icat atii on
3) Specificati
on/agreem ent
4) Di Diag agno nosi sis s
5) Goal setting/ac tion planning
First information sharing
Further elaboration of initiation stage
To provide information on background, expertise and experience
To provide information on possible needs, relevant problems, interest of management and representative groups
To provide details of education, licensure, operativevalues, optimum working conditions
To provide a detailed history of special problems, personnel, marketplace, internal culture, and organizational politics
Sufficient elaboration of needs, interest, fees, services, working conditions, arrangement s
To specify actual services, fees to be charged, time frame, actual work conditions
To specify whose needs are to be addressed, objectives, and possible evaluative criteria or endstate outcomes
To obtain an unfiltered and undistorted view of the organization' s problems and processes pinpointing change targets and criterion
To collect data concerning organizational problems and processes and to provide feedback
To establish the specific goals and strategies to be used
To agree mutually with the client system on the goals and
To assist consultant in data collection
Misrepresentation of the consultant's skill base and background Misrepresentation of organizational interest
Inappropriate determination of who the client is Avoidance of reality testing Inappropriate determination of value orientation
Inappropriate structuring goals, of the relationship Inappropriate definition of change problem Collusion to exclude out-side parties Avoidance of problems Misuse of data Distortion and deletion of data Ownership of data Voluntary consent Confidentiality
To agree mutually with the consultant on the goals and strategies
Inappropriate choice of intervention goal and targets Inappropriate
strategies to be used
to be used
choice of operative means Inappropriate scope of intervention
Stage
6) Syst Syste ems interventi on
Purpose
Role of Consultant
The intervention into ongoing behaviors, structures, and processes
To intervene at specific targets, at a specific depth
Role of Client System To invest the energy and resources required by planned intervention
Dilemmas
Assimilation into culture Inappropriate depth of intervention Coercion vs. choice, freedom, and consent to participate Environmental manipulation
7) Ev Eval alua uati tion on
8) Al Alte tera rati tion on
9) Cont Contin inua uati ti on/mainte nance
To determine the effectiveness of the intervention strategies, energy, and resources used, as well as the consultantclient system relationship
To gather data on specified targets and report findings to the client system
To analyze the evaluation data and determine effectiveness of the intervention
Misuse of data
To modify change strategies, depth, level, targets, or resources utilized if necessary
To make alteration to meet original goals, or to develop new mutual goals and strategies with client system
To make known needs and expectations, and to provide the context for a modification of the original agreement, if necessary
Failure to change and lack goals, of flexibility
To monitor and maintain ongoing strategies, provide periodic checks, the continue intervention
To specify the parameters of the continuation and the maintenance of relationship
To provide or allocate the of resources required to maintain or continue the intervention
Deletion and distortion of data
Adoption of inappropriate strategy
Inappropriate reduction of dependency Redundancy of effort Withholding of services
based on original or altered plans and strategies
10) Termina tion
To have the consultant disenfranchise self from the client system and establish a long term monitoring system
To fulfill the role agreed on in previous stages and evaluate overall effectiveness from feedback from the client system
To determine the organization's state of health and whether it has developed the adaptive change process
Inappropriate transition of change effort to internal sources Premature exit Failure to monitor change
The Ethical dilemmas at different OD Stages 1. INIT INITIA IATI TION ON STAG STAGEE-Th Thee stag stagee of init initia iati tion on ofte often n is impa impair ired ed by vari variou ouss types types of
misrepresentation. Here, inaccurate information may be provided by either the consultant or the client system, resulting in either misrepresentation of the consultant's background or skill base or misrepresentation of organizational interest. 2. CLARIFICATI CLARIFICATION ON STAGE -Three different different dilemmas dilemmas may arise in this stage. Problems in
determining determining who the real client client is and the inappropria inappropriate te determinati determination on of value orientations orientations are of frequent mention. The avoidance of reality testing on the part of both the consultant and the client system may occur if there is difficulty or a lack of effort in raising issues that might hamper the change effort. 3. SPECIF SPECIFICA ICATIO TION/ N/ AGREEM AGREEMENT ENT STAGE STAGE –At this this stage stage the finite finite struct structuri uring ng of the
relationship occurs. At this point the ethical dilemma involves the degree of specificity concerning the range of services to be offered, the fee structure, a tenable time frame, resources to be used, and accountability for services and resources. Similarly, inappropriate definition of the change problem may result in ambiguity concerning the problems to be addressed whose problems they are and by what means they are to be dealt with. Collusion of parties also may occur in the specification/agreement state. 4. DIAGNOSIS STAGE- A wide variety of ethical issues may occur in the diagnosis stage.
Avoidance of diagnosing known problems occurs when the consultant and client system perceptually defend against their own inability or unwillingness to solve a problem. Of greater frequency in the diagnosis stage is the misuse, as well as the distortion and deletion, of data. Deletion and distortion of data also may result in a misleading diagnosis, thereby rendering rendering the interventi intervention on ineffectiv ineffective. e. Ownership Ownership of the data is a frequent frequent dilemma as well, well,
wherein survey feedback or process observation is not shared with all contributing members. Simil Similarl arly, y, the questi question on of volunt voluntary ary con-sen con-sentt of organi organizat zation ional al member memberss and insure insured d confidentiality appears to be a frequent problem. 5. GOAL SETTING/ ACTION PLANNING STAGE - In the stage ethical problems include the
choice of a change goal and targets, the choice of operative means, and the scope of the intervention. Here the major categories of collusion of parties, technical ineptness, and value and goal conflict are apparent. These dilemmas result in inappropriately choosing goals, targets, depth, and change method because of lack of skill, lack of objectivity, or differing needs and orientations 6. SYSTEMS INTERVENTION STAGE -In systems intervention, the assimilation into the
organization's culture presents a range of ethical considerations for the consultant. These dilemm dilemmas as result result in the consult consultant ant's 's losing losing the object objectivi ivity ty of a third third party party positi position on by incorporation of inappropriate values, adherence to inappropriate norms, or development of a psychological state in congruence with the activities to be addressed by the change effort. This This dilemm dilemmaa of inappr inappropr opriat iatee depth depth result resultss in change change effort effortss that that cannot cannot provid providee for adequate or effective change. The dilemma for coercion to participate in OD activities. Here reside residess the potent potential ial for involu involunta ntary ry change change or psychol psychologi ogical cal or profes professio sional nal harm harm to organizational members. There also exists the possibility of environmental manipulation through the involuntary change in personal attributes, structure, or organizational process, without awareness or participation of organizational members. 7. EVALUA EVALUATIO TION N STAGESTAGE-The The misus misuse, e, deleti deletion, on, or distor distortio tion n of data data may occur occur in the
evaluation stage. Here, evaluation data are distorted or deleted in a manner that results in personal, personal, professional, professional, or organization organizational al harm. The misuse misuse of evaluation data is frequent in cases in which the major motivation for collecting co llecting and reporting evaluation data is to advance the personal interest of consultants on internal parts of the client system. 8. ALTERATIONALTERATION-The The dilemmas dilemmas at this this stage stage are failure failure to change change (or lack of flexib flexibilit ility) y) and the adoption of an inappropriate new strategy. Each can be seen to occur typically in an intervention in which alteration is necessary for full effectiveness of the intervention effort. Fail Failur uree to chang changee and a lack lack of flex flexib ibil ilit ity y can can be caus caused ed by over over adher adherenc encee to the the specifications of a contract, the lack of skill or expertise, or the lack of resources. Further, the adoption of an inappropriate new strategy may result from pressure to pro-duce change in light of nonsupportive evaluation data. 9. CONTINUATION/MAINTENANCE STAGE-Three specific ethical dilemmas occur at this
stage. stage. Reduci Reducing ng depende dependency ncy is a diffi difficul cultt issue issue for most most consul consultan tants ts to encount encounter. er. The reduction of effort and withholding of consultant services from the client system also are difficult. Of specific ethical interest is the consultant's continued intense helping relationship or service.
10.TEMINATION STAGE-In the termination stage of change, a variety of dilemmas may
occur. Value and goal conflict, as well as technical ineptness, may result in the transition of change to inadequately prepared or unskilled internal parties, premature exit, or the failure to monitor change longitudinally. Of specif specific ic diffic difficult ulty y is the determ determina inatio tion n of (1) when intern internal al source sourcess are cap-abl cap-ablee of responsibly carrying through the long term aspects of a change effort and (2) whether the internal parties have developed the necessary processes to diagnose and solve problems. Impr Imprope operr asse assess ssme ment nt of a clie client nt syst system em can can lead lead to prem premat atur uree exit exit on the the part part of the the consultant, which may result in the broader issue of responsibility to the client.
Conclusion
With the demand for and acceptance of OD programs and practitioners increasing rapidly, the ethical issues surrounding OD's practice should now receive increased attention. Its popularity in educ educat atio ional nal curr curric icul ulum um for for prac practi titi tione oners rs serv serves es as evide evidence nce for for incr increa ease sed d expo exposu sure re by investigation and research. Because of the interdisciplinary values and backgrounds comprised in the OD field, ethical consonance among practitioners and consumers alike requires diligent effort. If OD is ever to be accepted as a legitimate science as well as a profession, then principles guiding the actions of those providing OD services must no longer be ignored.
