OD Evaluation and Ethics

It’s also important that the OD practitioner maintain the highest ethical and professional standards. There are several sources of ethical dilemmas that can challenge an OD evaluation effort, including those that arise while doing an evaluation, those that are created by the evaluator, and those inherent in the context.

Examples of Ethical Dilemmas

Examples of ethical dilemmas encountered when doing an evaluation include whether

• the evaluation is dumbed down by an advocacy of weak measures or low standards;
• information is withheld, distorted, or hidden;
• evaluation information is used as ammunition by one stakeholder against other stakeholders;
• promises of confidentiality to stakeholders are breached; and
• the subject of the evaluation itself entails inherent ethical dilemmas because of its explicitly moral content.

Ethical Dilemmas in Evaluation

Ethical dilemmas introduced by the evaluator (intentionally or unintentionally) include a(n)

• personal or financial interest in the subject of the evaluation;
• lack of knowledge or skill in technique or method;
• lack of cultural sensitivity;
• lack of respect for local cultures and values;
• ideological positions that predetermine the evaluation outcome;
• propensity to deliver positive evaluations to increase job security;
• making promises evaluators cannot deliver on; and
• making decisions without consultation with appropriate stakeholders.

Ethical dilemmas in the context may include

• illegal activities;
• malfeasance; and
• immoral behavior.

Guiding Principles for Evaluators

The American Evaluation Association (AEA) strives to promote ethical practice in the evaluation of programs, products, personnel, and policy. AEA has developed these principles to guide evaluators in their professional practice:

1. Systematic Inquiry: Evaluators conduct systematic, data based inquiries about whatever is being evaluated.
2. Competence: Evaluators provide competent performance to stakeholders.
3. Integrity/Honesty: Evaluators ensure the honesty and integrity of the entire evaluation process.
4. Respect for People: Evaluators respect the security, dignity, and self-worth of the respondents, program participants, clients, and other stakeholders with whom they interact.
5. Responsibilities for General and Public Welfare: Evaluators articulate and take into account the diversity of interests and values that may be related to the general and public welfare.

There are, however, limitations to ethical codes that must be understood and acknowledged. Ethical codes represent a common professional vocabulary, but ethical decisions are not simple applications of a rule, mostly involve conflicts between right and right, and are contextual.

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