Evaluation and Ethics

 

Any organization can adopt a code of ethics that requires them to enhance their employees, leadership, and other stakeholders in order to survive based on fairness, justice, and under the rules and regulations equally and justifiably.

It is essential to establish values and standards that apply to everyone in professional environments. Violation of these principles may contemplate as ethical violation leading to challenges and consequences.

Velasquez, Andre, Shanks and Meyer (1987)  agree that ethics is not the only standard, but also a continued personal and leadership effort of “studying our own moral beliefs and our moral conduct, and striving to ensure that we, and the institutions we help to shape, live up to standards that are reasonable and solidly-based” (para. 9). Landauer and Rowlands (2001) stated ethics is a concept answering the question of “what do I do” (para. 1). Landauer and Rowlands also define ethics as “the branch of study dealing with what is the proper course of action for man”.

Evaluation plays a vital role to an organization in many ways. The evaluator is responsible for reporting facts based on investigation, researches, data collecting, and surveys in order to establish justifiable, reliable, and fair reports with a much more possible away from being subjective and biased.  Evaluator findings and reporting’s that may lead to some or major changes that require professional ethical behaviors.

There is no way for an evaluator to pick and choice of convenience and lead-in results assuming this finding is a fact and report it to the client. However, there are many cases of ethical violations that can effect an individual and an organization.

Fitzpatrick, Sanders, and Worthen (2011) advise that the purpose of evaluation to demonstrate with accountability assisting decision making to explore problems involving and helping stakeholders to change and influence attitudes and policy. Fitzpatrick, et al. also suggests several steps to influence positive and accurate evaluation. These steps taking place at the first step when evaluator understands the program need to evaluate, purpose, value, beliefs, policy, and leaderships context.

Ethical violations can be moral and legal issues.

These violations are varied from one organization to another. The most common ethical violation is the abuse of power, conflict of interest, and favoritism. These include changing and giving false statement, data, and bias recommendations.  Other examples are when an individual acts and reacts in an attitude that puts their own interest, needs, and personality before the organization needs and benefits.

Failure to do so may lead to legal and moral issues that cost the individual and organization time, efforts, and money to repair and settle.  Ethical violation can case leads to a lot of chaos, gossip, and takes the organization time and effort.  These violations can be prevented, but not entirely by all means especially with professional attitude and employee relationships what can and what cannot do with training, workshops, meeting, and other requirements to protect employees and organization’s future.

Leaderships must be aware and be sure that every person understands what to do and what is the red flag. Sharing stories and issues when ethics and principles were violated includes a little issue as it seems with stakeholders to learn from experience and from issues that individuals need to be aware of.

Ethical processes are varying in cases and in organizations. However, communicating, sharing values, and learning how individuals may benefit from disagreement with honest discussions would increase the ethical process.  In my work place, we would begin with learning and identifying the issue, investigating, engaging participants, analyzing, and reporting.

In summary training with constant to all individuals would increase worker code of ethics. Approaching others with fairness, respect, honest, and professional would be the right method to avoid any ethical issues.  The evaluator has giving a trust to establish accurate, reliable, and real findings and reporting facts not as decision making or misleading and not to compromise and be compromised.

References:

Fitzpatrick, J. L., Sanders, J. R., & Worthen, B. R. (2011). Program evaluation: Alternative approaches and practical guidelines. Boston, MA: Pearson.

Landauer, J., & Rowlands, J. (2001). Importance of philosophy. Retrieved from importanceofphilosophy.com/Ethics Main.html

Velasquez, M., Andre, C., Shanks, T. & Meyer , M. (Fall 1987). What is ethics? Issues in Ethics, 1(1), retrieved from scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/whatisethics.html

By

Saif Ataya

Email: [email protected]