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Chapter 15

Prof . Dr .Zainal Managing Consultancy DBA program

Roozbeh 1082200038

Define what is meant by professionalism Understand the history behind being a professional and why there are disparities in its use as word in the English language.

Why professional behavior should be guided set of principles


Why ethical codes of conduct are needed Have knowledge of ethical codes of conduct in the management consultancy industry

The word profession derives from Latin combination of pro (forth) and fateri (confess), meaning to announce a belief Abraham Flexner in 1912 defined the modern meaning of Profession as any group governed by a code of ethics Accepting a code of ethics is certainly part of any profession, so professionalism is in essence abiding by these ethics

According to Roddenberry (1953) profession as an occupational group practices stated with following obligation :
To serve mankind generally rather than self ,individuals or groups To prepare as fully as practicable for service before entering active practice To work continually to improve skills by all means available and to freely communicate professional information gained

To employ full skill at all times regardless for considerations of personal gain , comfort , safety , and to at all times assist fellow professionals upon demand. To regulate practice by franchising of practitioners ,setting the highest practicable intellectual and technical minimums , to accept and upgrade fellow professionals solely upon considerations of merit ; to be constantly alert to protect society from fraudulent , substandard ,or unethical practice through ready and swift disfranchisement

To zealously guard the honour of the profession by living exemplary lives publicly and privately ,recognizing that injury to a group serving society ,injures society. To give constant attention to the improvement of self-discipline , recognizing that the individual must be the master of himself to be the servant of others

But before we go on to ethics lets look at the legal side


Legal Issues for consultants
A consultant must abide by moral principles and standards Management consultants must if they make a mistake disclose this at the earliest opportunity They must also refuse to take work that seem to be bogus assignments or where ethical principles are contradicted.

Legal Issues for psychologists


It is illegal to call yourself an occupational psychologist if you are not Health Professions Council (HPC) registered BPS (BPS Code of ethics, 2009)

Legal vs. Ethical Behaviour

Ethical codes = non binding moral codes: Legislation =

binding rules
Sometimes the two are at odds but law has to take precedent
E.g. client confidentiality vs. evidence under oath in court of law

Legal but immoral behaviour may be justified in extreme cases Moral but illegal behaviour will result in punitive action

Financial terrorist
such as Chiquita co. That engage with Colombian paramilitary groups

Sex
A consultant was promoted quickly through recommendations from her boss who in fact she was sleeping with (Biggs, 2010) the President of the World Bank has been accused of giving his romantic partner a promotion and a number of large pay increases at the bank (Goldenberg, 2007) This type of affair is therefore probably not that uncommon but is unlikely to bring good press so very infrequently makes the headlines

Nepotism
Nepotism is the preferment shown by individuals in authority to relatives in the bestowal of privileges or positions on the basis of their relationship rather than those of merit -SME

Cronyism
Cronyism is similar to nepotism but involves the preferential treatment of friends as opposed to blood relatives

It can be noted that professionalism and ethics may not be the highest priority in some organizations. Dealing with these scandals as a consultant is fraught with difficulty. Hagenmayer 2007
,suggested that as consulting is a form of situation specific assistance provided by an expert , and if a scandal resulting from that assistance was to be uncovered then in the ideal situation both the organization and consultancy firm would share the blame.

Ethics is the aspect of management consultancy profession that safeguards the public from either deception or dishonesty .
In the UK, there are two professional bodies that safeguard the public
Management Consultancies Association (MCA) Institute of Business Consulting (IBC)

Other countries have similar associations and The International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (ICMCI) is the global association of national management consulting institutes from around the world

Kamath, (2007) conducted a review of management consultancy ethics across the globe finding 7 core ethics:
Confidentiality :
client information must remains confidential Consultancy should declare such relationship with third parties that may result in a conflict of interest Consultant should work loyally to wards their client and profession Is where the client trusts the consultant to comply with stated agreements and to keep any promises made. Must kept separate from client and act as an impartial third party Expertise of members and personal quality to doing assignment Is the overarching principle making sure all the requirements of the client are met Consultant acts in a professional manner in dealing with all aspects of the assignment

Transparency Integrity

Reliability
Objectivity and independence Expertise and competence

Professionalism

Respect
General (the individual) Privacy & confidentiality Informed consent Self-determination (right to withdraw)

Responsibility
Protect/prevent harming participants Avoid misconduct Consider participant view Informed consent Right to withdraw Obtain ethical approval where needed Beware offering advice Brief & debrief and remain available

Competence
Awareness & integration ethics & good practice Recognise & act upon ethical dilemmas Recognise limits of competence Recognise personal barriers (impairment)

Integrity
Always be honest & accurate Avoid experimental deception unless absolutely necessary Do not plagiarise only take claim for own work Acknowledge contributions of others Do not exploit professional position or conflicts of interest Maintain boundaries

the ethical guidelines promoted by professional bodies can be enforced (Nitsch, Baetz, and Hughes, 2005) The ability to enforce an ethical code of conduct influences whether it is effective in shaping behaviour This enforcement of ethical standards relies on members reporting violations of the code less than half of the individuals who witness code violations actually report them (Nitsch, et al., 2005)

professionalism and ethics are nonnegotiable in consultancy (Edersheim, 2004) Kamath (2007) in his review of international management consultancy ethics found a disparity between different professional bodies regarding enforcement of ethical standards
Out of the 26 professional surveyed, only 9 did anything at all about enforcing the ethical guidelines and only 7 contained concrete disciplinary mechanisms

Lynch (2001) suggested, self-regulation should be enforced by the professional bodies that oversee the work of consultants and if this is not done then perhaps society will regulate the industry

Professionalism and ethics are important aspects of management consultancy It can be noted that professionalism and ethics may not be the highest priority in some organizations. Dealing with these scandals of professional practice is difficult but should be guided by ethical principles . enforcement of ethical principles may be different depends on the country that the consultant practice in.

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