Ethics in Consultancy Organizations - Literature review Example

Module: Ethics in Consultancy Organizations Consultants in the current world are becoming more and moreimportant in many fields more so in business. As a result of this there is increasing need to have the consulting field ethically guided. This entails trying to differentiate between what is wrong and right. One is then supposed to do that which is right. This entails upholding good moral values toward others. These are values like respecting of others, being honest, fair and responsible while conducting professional duties. Consultants must therefore engage their clients while following set principles on ethical behavior. The documentation of the said principles is referred to as the code of ethics. This part of the paper will mainly focus on the kinds of ethical issues encountered in consulting organizations and how best they can be dealt with. Peer consultant gossip. In cases where consulting projects are short this type of issue arises. Consultations in many organizations are not done by the same people all the time. This therefore means that consulting team members are frequently interchanged or find themselves working with unfamiliar colleagues. Negative feedbacks regarding others are usually detrimental to the quality of service offered by the peer consultants (Hauser 98). This is made worse by the fact that such negative gossip runs fast within the consulting circles. This raises the question of credibility of these peer consultants’ findings. Considering that consulting time is usually limited, it is hard to know each other well. This poses the danger of this behavior affecting the quality of service offered to the clients. If the latter happens then the issue has become too serious to be left unattended. Analyzing and framing the findings. While offering consultations to clients one is bound to be responsible enough and avoid bias as much as possible. It is this risk that has raised concerns whereby consultants are viewed as favoring certain points of view from a personal perspective rather than displaying professionalism. This form of bias is most prevalent in cases where consultants offer goods or services they are offering consultations on e.g. equipment vendor. Research has shown that in case such a person has been hired as a consultant it will be for general or strategic management and not on equipment (TLAC and Shu Steve). Objective consulting reduces conflict and ensures the right advice is offered. A professional consultant will give the true findings and make the right analysis of a situation. Unethical clients. There are many instances when a client will approach a consulting firm with the aim of committing malicious acts. This mostly happens when a client wishes to obtain information on a competitor. They usually request for the consultant to send people as regular customers or suppliers. This trick is usually used to gain information about selling and buying prices. This creates an ethical issue as the customer is asking the consulting firm to offer cheating services (Hauser 116). This is supposed to be completely disallowed as it is not within the realms of ethical system. The consultant is supposed to educate the client on work ethics and offer solutions on how they can gain pricing advantage using other means. An example is convincing them to look into the competitor’s prospective pricing strategies than their prices at present. This is referred to as statement problem refinement as it diverts the original stated problem to a more inclusive problem. This assists in offering a better rooted service based on facts and possible future outcomes. Solutions to ethical issues. Dealing with these issues is not that easy but an organization must at least have a code of ethics to follow. Regarding peer consultant gossip the organization needs to put in place ethical standards that ensure that consultants respect each others competence. This type of ethics should be in regards to confidentiality whereby information remains between the client and the consultant(s). What happens during service delivery should remain secret. There is also the need to have distinct groups or teams dealing with particular consultations to increase accountability. In regards to being neutral the organization should endeavor to eliminate biases. This is first through the awareness that there may exist biases and be transparent in case they arise and work on their elimination. In regards to unethical clients, education on the type of services offered is important. The other is to offer viable alternatives as regards their problem statement in order to deal with it by tackling it from a different perspective. CODE OF ETHICS IN CONSULTANCY It is important for the organization to offer consultation services in a fair and equitable manner which in the long run helps in minimizing its liabilities (Myers 18). This is better done when already having the mission and vision of the consultancy services clearly set out. This follows a description of the moral values and standards to be followed in a code of ethics. Global assumptions. The code of ethics to be developed will appreciate the fact that consulting has gone global and many sectors require it. The assumptions made are that the client base is global. This means that all are welcome to seek the organization’s consultancy services. The other assumption is that the code of ethics will be globally acceptable. Biblical worldview. The code of ethics will also be inspired by many bible teachings of love, respect, honesty and integrity examples being; Psalm 37:28 that says, “For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake His faithful ones…” Romans 12:10 that says, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor…” Deuteronomy 16:19-20 that says, “Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the LORD your God is giving you.” ETHICAL PRINCIPLES Service. Consultant’s work it to address people’s and organizations’ problems and needs by offering the best professional advice possible. Dignity and person’s worth. Consulting firms need to appreciate their clients and offer them the respect they deserve. Human relations and their importance. Good relations between people lead to progress and desirable change which is a key concept in consultancy (Hauser 126). Integrity. Consultancy firms and individuals need to be trustworthy in their dealings with clients by following their mission and values. Competence. Consultants should offer services competently to the extent of their professional expertise. This means that they should not offer services beyond their expertise. ETHICAL STANDARDS These ones offer guidelines for professional conduct. RESPONSIBILITIES OF A CONSULTANT TOWARDS A CLIENT Commitment. Consultants’ duty is centered on promoting client’s wellbeing by focusing and fully addressing their interests. Self determination. Consultants should aim at assisting the clients to fulfill their objectives not unless to the best of their professional judgment, such endeavor will expose them or others to risk. Informed consent. A consultant should engage themselves with a client only when such client has offered valid consent to such services. Competence. Competence should be depicted by consultants at all times based on their education and training, professional experience and within other boundaries that are within professional scope (Myers 18). This also includes cultural competence whereby consultants need to appreciate people’s backgrounds and the possible inclination they may have on their behavior and strength. This is important as this organization functions in a global scale. Conflicts of interest. Consultants should ensure impartiality to avoid conflicts. They are responsible for highlighting situations that have or may pose some conflict. Privacy and confidentiality and access of records. The right to privacy for all clients needs to be upheld and they should not be coerced to offer information. Clients also have the right to access their records but still confidentiality of the same from other parties is crucial. Sexual harassment and derogatory language. Clients should be accorded the full respect they deserve and sexual advances or solicitation is disallowed, verbal or otherwise. Clients should not be communicated to with derogatory language written or verbal under whatever circumstances. Payment, interruption and termination of service. The fees charged to offer consultancy services by the organization need to be fair and reasonable. Other than these fees consultants should not receive gifts or other forms of appreciation from the clients. Continuity of service needs to be looked into in the instance that they had been disrupted (Myers 19). The consultancy services are to be terminated in the even that they are not necessary or are of little or no assistance to the client. RESPONSIBILITY TO COLLEAGUES Respect. There should be mutual respect and treatment between colleagues in the organization. Confidentiality. Information about colleagues should be kept confidential. Dispute Resolution and Consultations. Disputes need to be resolved amicably without favoritism and involvement of uninterested parties or even clients. Colleagues should ensure they consult others when necessary. Sexual Relationships and Harassment. Those employees working at positions of authority should not have sexual relationships with their juniors. Colleagues should not also engage in a sexual relationship in case there is a risk of conflict of interest. No colleague is supposed to harass the other sexually (Hauser 126). CONCLUSION The above code of ethics represents the standards and values that all consultants in the organization should uphold while conducting their duties. This is quite important as it ensures good relationship between the organization and the clients as well as among employees. The code also ensures the quality of service offered is within global and religious standards based on biblical teachings. Works cited Hauser Andreas. Ethics in Management Consulting: An Examination of the Extent to which the Principles of Integrative Consulting Ethics are Incorporated in Management Consulting Firms in Germany. GRIN Verlag. 2009. Print. Myers Randy. Ensuring Ethical Effectiveness: New Rules Mean Virtually Every Company Will Need a Code of Ethics. Journal of Accountancy, Vol. 195, 2003. Print. The Bible: Authorized King James Version. Ed. Carroll Robert and Prickett Stephen. Oxford University Press, 2008. “The ethics of consulting”. TLAC and Shu Steve. 2008. Web. 13 Nov. 2010. Read More