ETHICS
Preamble, Scope and Coverage
ISABS ethics framework is, as the title suggests, a framework or a set of guidelines to support and promote the integrity of professional members and therefore of participants of ISABS programmes. To achieve common tasks, promote professionalism and excellence, we need to have common values, and design structures and processes to give effect to these values in practice. The framework of ethics would be a baseline document to arrive at greater clarity on the above. However, it is not a rigid or absolute set of rules but an ongoing process of search and review emerging out of our values and our accumulating experience.
Understanding and internalising the spirit of this framework is perhaps most important because only then will it translate in living ways into structures, systems, and processes in our programmes and services, professional development and our vision for the future.
We would like to emphasize that this process is never "completed" and that it is one of constant dialoguing, self-search and meaning-making simultaneously at the level of the individual and the institution. We are also aware that the gap/discrepancy between what "is" and the "ideal" exists. The ethics framework is a statement not just of where we would like to reach but of our belief in the process of institution building, that this gap will never close, that what we define collectively as ideal at any one stage is not static but also evolving, and that is the strength of ISABS as an institution.
MEETING PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES
Ethics Statement # 1
Professional Members are aware of the objectives of the programme and have common agreement about the broad design of the programme. Professional Members make reasonable efforts to determine whether the programme has accomplished its intended objectives and has not had undesired consequences for participants.
Ethics Statement # 2
When describing a programme to the prospective participants, professional members will candidly explain its goals, risks, limitations and anticipated outcomes, consistent with the published descriptions of that particular program.
When implementing a program, professional members will faithfully adhere to the description of the program as advertised. Professional members will not knowingly deviate from the published program description without both a clearly defined rationale based on the learning goals of the participants and the informed consent of the participants to any proposed change.
VERIFYING THE IMPACT OF PROGRAMS
Ethics Statement # 3
Professional members will make all reasonable efforts to determine whether their programmes have accomplished the announced goals, and to determine whether their programs have had unintended or undesired consequences for participants.
Professional members will do whatever is professionally possible and ethically appropriate to remedy the effects of any undesired consequences, and will not attempt to cover up any undesired consequences of their programs.
Professional Members will actively solicit and respond with an open mind to feedback regarding their work; and seriously examine program designs and their own professional skills for ways to improve.
MANAGING ROLE BOUNDARIES
Ethics Statement # 4
Professional members are sensitive to possibilities and data that the professional or personal relationship that they as facilitator have with a participant outside of the lab/program does not affect the nature of work inside the lab/programme. As far as possible, facilitators avoid working in labs where they have close personal/professional relationship with any participant.
AVOIDING ABUSE OF PROFESSIONAL ROLE
Ethics Statement # 5
Professional Members are aware that their role in the lab is to work on program objectives, and not to satisfy their own needs. Professional Members are expected to be actively aware of their own needs and the impact of their needs upon their professional work. They are expected to use spaces such as clinicing sessions or peer meetings, rather than interaction with participants, to resolve their needs and dilemmas.
Ethics Statement # 6
Professional Members keep in mind the theoretical base for the possible consequences of their interventions, especially when introducing innovations or experimenting with new approaches. They use clinicing and staff meetings to plan as well as review the impact and consequences of such interventions.
Ethics Statement # 7
The roles played by Professional Members (e.g. as facilitator, mentor, regional and national institutional roles) are recognised as powerful roles providing them with an unusual opportunity to exercise power for the purpose of assisting others to grow and learn about themselves. Professional Members are expected to be constantly vigilant that this power is used at all times to promote the growth and enhance the dignity of the participants.
Ethics Statement # 8
The review of a lab member’s participation in the lab or readiness to move forward in the Professional Development Program is based on agreed upon criteria with abundant caution that this is not coloured by past experiences, past data, personal biases, or personal gain.
Ethics Statement # 9
Professional Members do not engage in erotic or sexual contact with participants in an ISABS program. This includes verbal or non-verbal interactions of a sexual or romantic nature not necessarily involving direct physical contact. (In this context the definition of the term ‘program’ is expanded depending upon whether the Professional Member is a Human Process Lab Facilitator, in a Mentor-PDP candidate relationship, facilitator in an extended Professional Development Programme or working on a consulting assignment for ISABS client. It also includes before or after the program contact with participants/clients when the professional member is likely to have the role-related power described in Ethics Statement # 7 above.)
Ethics Statement # 10
Professional Members are expected to confront any perceived violation of ISABS’ stated ethical principles by a colleague in an ISABS program. When there is evidence that a colleague has violated a stated ethics principle, it is an ethical obligation of professional members to make a written report of such violation to the Ethics Committee.
Any transgression of ethics by a facilitator during the lab needs to be confronted by the co-facilitator in or outside the lab as appropriate. If necessary, the issue must also be brought up in clinicing. If the issue still appears to be unresolved, the co-facilitator has an ethical obligation to record the facts in writing and bring them to the attention of the Ethics Committee and Dean Programmes.
Ethics Statement # 11
In the event of serious unresolved issues emerging between two Professional Members facilitating a lab, the concerned professional members are expected to bring up and actively address these issues in the faculty clinicing sessions, to ensure that the program objectives are not compromised due to unresolved issues between facilitators.
PERSONAL AUTONOMY AND CONFIDENTIALITY
Ethics Statement # 12
Professional Members will honor the participant/s’ freedom to choose whether or not to participate in the programme or in particular activities within the programme. Members will not attempt (overtly or covertly) to coerce participants to take part in the program or in any of its activities.
Ethics Statement # 13
Professional Members are aware of the group pressures on participants to divulge personal information and of the tendency to succumb to group norms that transgress on personal authority and autonomy of individual choices. Professional Members are sensitive to possibilities of the facilitator/s colluding with group members in such situations. Professional Members will use their skills to guide participants toward appropriate, voluntary and useful self-disclosure, and to protect individuals from excessive pressures in their labs.
Ethics Statement # 14
Personal data is shared by participants in absolute trust. Professional Members will not divulge this data to anyone outside the lab. When speaking of group processes in professional forums such as clinicing sessions or mentoring meetings, Professional Members will be careful to do so without disclosing the identity of the individuals.
Professional Members will communicate to participants the ISABS values in this regard.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Ethics Statement # 15
ISABS is a voluntary professional society, which is built from investment and commitment of its members. Professional Members are therefore expected to be keenly sensitive to possible conflicts of interest when offering or participating in programs similar or identical to those offered by ISABS.
During ISABS programmes / events, Professional Members are aware of their role as ISABS professionals, and do not canvass for programmes / services not related to ISABS.
COMPETENCE AND CONTINUOUS DEVELOPMENT
Ethics Statement # 16
Professional members are expected to know the limits of their competence, and to adhere to those limits when accepting programme responsibilities.
Ethics Statement # 17
Professional Members invite and are open to feedback from peers about the program/ lab and their skills.
In case of extreme personal stress/trauma, Professional Members seek professional help/counseling to assess their own preparedness for facilitator/mentor roles vis-à-vis their own needs and priorities.
Ethics Statement # 18
Professional Members make ongoing efforts to update, renew, review, and rebuild their competencies, be open to learning and alive to new life experiences -- theoretical, personal, and professional.
ISABS as an institution continually offers opportunities for ongoing personal and professional development at Regional and National Programs.
SENSITIVITY TO DIVERSITY ISSUES
Ethics Statement # 19
Professional Members are sensitive to and bring to awareness, instances whenever there are affronts to the dignity of regional, racial and religious sentiments and discriminations on the basis of gender, class, caste, colour, language, sexual orientation, physical disability etc.
VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION
Ethics Statement # 20
ISABS makes reasonable efforts to ensure that participants have information about the objectives and methodology of the programmes it offers. Given the nature of the programmes and the desirability of voluntary participation, it is important that sponsoring organizations are aware of the need for voluntary participation by individuals. ISABS emphasizes this in its written materials like brochures, nomination forms etc.
ISABS also emphasises that programmes are meant to be learning experiences and are not intended as substitutes for therapy, psychiatric counseling or personal assessment. ISABS gives reasonable caution about the consequences these programmes can have for people who require psychiatric counseling or have serious health problems.
ADHERENCE TO LAW
Ethics Statement # 21
Professional Members abide by local and state laws that apply to the delivery of ISABS services and use of host facilities. The Dean of each event is responsible for knowing and communicating applicable regulations (e.g. consuming alcohol, financial obligations, use of hotel services etc.)
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INSTITUTIONALISING THE NORMS- All existing professional members sign off the Ethics Statement to confirm their commitment to the Ethics Framework.
- All new professional members to sign off on the statement as a prerequisite to being admitted as members.
- Wherever possible, efforts should be made to have two professional members as facilitators in a lab.
- Before the start of every event, participants must be informed about the ethics statement and about the ethics committee during the week.
- All PDP participants should be required to dialogue on the ethics framework during Phase A and Phase B and particularly during Internship to understand their location, concerns and dilemmas about the framework itself and to enhance understanding and compliance. The professional members responsible for the design and conduct of the PDP should ensure that the design incorporates time and space for this.
- Copies of the Ethics Framework along with this note (in suitably abridged form) should be made available to participants in all national and regional events.
COMPETENCE AND CONTINUOUS DEVELOPMENT
A Standing Committee on Ethics to be set up for the term of each President. The standing committee should have four members representing one from each metro region. An additional member to be co-opted by the President will be the Chairperson of the Ethics Standing Committee who will be on the Board of ISABS.
At each event, it is recommended that at least one member of the Standing Committee be present.
ROLE OF THE ETHICS STANDING COMMITTEE- Reviewing and updating the Ethics Framework document
- Maintaining an overview of the working of the several ethics committees set up during national and regional events, assisting in difficult cases, mediating disagreements/disputes that may arise from time to time, and handling the issues and concerns brought to its notice directly outside the events.
- Designing and implementing preventive initiatives to preserve and strengthen the Ethics framework.
- Work with professional members requiring corrective action and help
PROCESS TO BE FOLLOWED IN CASE OF CONCERNS OF AN ETHICAL NATURE RAISED DURING EVENTS AND OTHERWISE:
ISABS has a Standing Committee on Ethics (SCE) to oversee the ethical processes, issues and concerns emerging out of the practices followed by the institution in all its programs and offerings.
In addition, duringthe course of any ISABS event for e.g. Regional, National,Community Process Facilitation Programme (CPFCP), and Organisation Development Certification Programme, (ODCP), the Dean- Programmes, Regional Coordinator, Director CPFCP, Dean Consultancy or Director-ODCP will constitute an Event Ethics Committee. This applies to events which may be newly announced in the future as well.
The Event Ethics Committee will be primarily responsible for handling any ethics related concerns that are raised during the event. Professional members who volunteer to be on the Event Ethics Committee will also be responsible for any follow-up actions that may be necessary after the event.
If the person who wants to raise an ethics concern prefers, they can also write directly to the Chair-Standing Committee on Ethics (chair.ethics@isabs.org)
PROCEDURE AND GUIDELINES FOR HANDLING ETHICS RELATED CONCERNS/COMPLAINTS (henceforth referred to as concerns) RAISED ABOUT PROFESSIONAL MEMBERS AND INTERNSWho can raise an ethics related concern?
A. An ethics related concern can be raised by:
- Participants in national and regional events, CPFCP, ODCP, Consulting Assignments and any other programs (online or in-person) that maybe offered by ISABS
- Client and support organisations
- Members of the Profession Development Program (PDP)
- Role holders of ISABS including office staff
- Professional members, observers and Interns
B. Anyone who is directly affected or is a witness of unethical behaviour can raise an ethics related concern. Any person(s) other than those directly involved in an incident can also raise the concern, stating all the relevant facts as told to them by the person(s) concerned. In such a case the writer and submitter of the complaint will become the person who is raising the complaint for further investigation by the Ethics Committee.
C. The concern can be addressed to any member of the Ethics Committee in the event or immediately after the event. If the concern is raised with any other professional member, he/she will encourage the concerned person to raise it directly with the Event Ethics Committee or, if that is not possible for any reason, then another professional member can also make a written report to the Event Ethics Committee stating all the relevant facts as told to him/her by the person making the complaint. In such a case, the person who submits the concern becomes the primary complainant.
D. In case the concern needs to be raised about a member of the Events Ethics Committee or a member of the Standing Committee on Ethics (SCE), it can be raised with the Dean-Programmes or RC or Dean/Director (during an event) or sent directly to the Chair- Standing Ethics Committee. (chair.ethics@isabs.org). If the concern is about the Chair- SCE , it needs to be raised with the President of ISABS (president@isabs.org)
Procedure for raising an Ethics related concern/complaint
1. An ethical concern must be raised in writing (email or on paper) or self-recorded video or audio message in any language preferred by the person raising the complaint. It will not be possible to investigate a concern only on the basis of an unrecorded statement (mere informal reporting for e.g.)
2. The concern must include the following information:
- Name of person(s) against whom the concern/complaint is made
- Nature of transgression with details
- Factual details like date, time, other people present, context and so on
3. The person raising an ethical concern must be assured by the Event Ethics committee or SCE (whichever receives the concern) that it will maintain confidentiality throughout the process. No persons other than those directly involved, that is members of the Event Ethics Committee, the President, Chair- Standing Committee on Ethics, members of Standing Committee on Ethics, the person (s) against whom the complaint is raised, and witnesses will come to know about the existence or nature and source of the concern.
4. The person raising the concern as well as the person about whom the ethical concern is raised, have a right to confidentiality. Professional Members who have any information about the existence or nature of an ethics complaint will respect this right and avoid any casual talk or gossip about the individuals and events. In case this is not held sacrosanct, this by itself can be considered an ethical concern.
5. The person about whom the concern has been raised will also be assured of the same confidentiality. They will also be asked to maintain confidentiality. They will be informed by the Events Ethics Committee or SCE about the nature of the concern raised and be given a fair hearing to make their statement.
6. The same process will be followed with the person raising the concern, any other witnesses/involved parties.
7. The Event Ethics Committee, during the event, will decide on the timeline to investigate the concern and resolve the same. Some issues may be addressed in the event itself or can be explored within a reasonable time frame after the event. The investigations of the Event Ethics Committee and its final report and recommendations must be completed and submitted to the President as well as the Standing Committee on Ethics (the Chair can be emailed on their behalf) no later than 2 months after the concern is received.
8. The Event Ethics Committee, will explore the issue(s) mentioned in the concern in its entirety using the following norms:
- Adopting the principles of natural justice of giving the member about whom the ethical concern is raised, an opportunity to be heard.
- Listening to the person raising the concern and all other people involved in the concern in some form to collect as much data as possible.
9. The Event Ethics Committee needs to dialogue among themselves on all the data that has been collected and come to a conclusion on the charge or complaint. Where the Committee Members cannot meet, the dialoguing can happen over phone, zoom call or email or chat. These need to be compiled as a report, and if possible they may be recorded and submitted as well.
10. The ethical concern may require a mediated conversation between the concerned person(s) involved during the event. The Event Ethics Committee will organise the meeting(s) as necessary ensuring that the concern raised is appropriately discussed and the matter is resolved between the parties directly involved as far as possible. The proceedings of the meeting must be documented by the Event Ethics Committee members. This must be included and submitted to the President and to the Chair, SCE.
11. If a recommendation, other than a mediated conversation between parties involved, needs to be implemented to resolve the concern, then the Event Ethics Committee will consult with the Chair-Standing Committee on Ethics and the President. The President, in consultation with the Chair- Standing Committee on Ethics, may accept the Event Ethics Committee’s recommendations or may suggest certain modifications.
12. The Events Ethics Committee will submit a report to the President and Chair-Standing Committee on Ethics no more than two months after the close of the event. If resolution has not occurred, this should be mentioned in the report. It will then be taken up for final resolution by the SCE and the role of the Events Ethics committee will be over, except to provide information as and when required.
13. Whereas ISABS encourages that a concern must be raised as soon as an incident occurs, it is possible that the person is unable to raise the concern during the event or when the incident occurred. In such a scenario, if the person so wishes, they can raise a concern by writing directly to the Chair- Standing Committee on Ethics (chair.ethics@isabs.org) within a period of three months from the date of incident. The Standing Committee on Ethics, (the reasons to be recorded in writing), can extend the time limit up to 6 months as an outer limit.
14. The Event Ethics Committee’s work and responsibility will end as the event closes, except when follow-up action is required in case the concern has not been resolved during the event. Any concern brought up later by any person may be raised with the Chair- Standing Committee on Ethics (chair.ethics@isabs.org). However, as and when required. the Standing Committee on Ethics may consult the Event Ethics Committee for details pertaining to the ethical concern raised, fact finding, clarifications etc.
15. If an ethical concern is raised directly with the Chair-Standing Committee on Ethics the same procedural steps from Point 1 to 10 will be applicable. The Standing Committee on Ethics will handle the inquiry and make their recommendations and finalise the report within 2 months (unless the investigation is delayed for any cause, where it can take another month to complete it’s Report). The final Report will be submitted to the President within 10 days of completion of the entire inquiry. The recommendations will be finalised by the President after discussion and consultation with the Chair and the SCE.
16. After the Report is submitted, the President will initiate appropriate action, which may include communicating the decision to the person(s) raising the concern, the person(s) against whom the concern was raised, and to such other role holder(s) as considered absolutely necessary for giving effect to the recommendations.
17. The Chair-Standing Committee on Ethics or a specific person from the Standing Committee on Ethics will be responsible for following up and ensuring that the recommendations, and other conditions (if any), are complied with. Once the recommendations are completed, the Chair will inform the President through a note of completion.
Possible actions that can be initiatedDepending on the nature of the concern, the actions given below are some indicative actions. The Committees can be expansive and growth-oriented about how to approach this. The primary purpose and driver of the Ethics Framework is for learning, reflection and behaviour change. Punitive action is a last resort which needs due consideration before being utilised. In case other people are involved they need to maintain the confidentiality to the same extent as during the investigation.
Mediation and reconciliation is always recommended as the first step. This could be sufficient if the Professional Member owns, acknowledges and commits to practicing the involved ethical standard consistently or it may be followed by any of the following. In case mediation is not accepted by either one/both of the parties directly involved or is not successful, then the following are broad suggestions for further action.
1. Dialogue with another PM to develop clarity about the ethical concern along with a reflection log on the incident.
2. Coaching/ Counselling/ Therapy followed by a report of completion from the coach/counsellor and learning note from the person concerned.
3. Other growth initiatives, pke attending a special / relevant lab /workshop etc.
4. A cautionary counsel to the Professional Member in writing
5. Temporary barring from specified number of events, till other conditions pke those stated above are completed.
6. Permanent barring from attending events and participating in the activities of ISABS.
Any of these actions may need to be supported by follow-up and corrective actions that may be specifically recommended. These could include steps that the Professional Member needs to take for re-entry to Events, other programmes, activities. This is to ensure that the desired change in behaviour has occurred. Otherwise, just suspending from events/ facilitation does not ensure change of behaviour for which the temporary suspension was intended. The recommendations may include the assistance of a peer Professional Member as a mentor in this process. The mentor’s inputs may be sought while taking the re-entry decision.
