in OD-HSD activities and, in case of questionable practice, use appropriate channels for dealing with it.Discuss directly and constructively when possible.Use other means when necessary, including:Joint consultation and feedback (with another professional as a third party)Enforcement procedures of existing professional organizationsPublic confrontationAct in ways that bring credit to the OD-HSD profession and with due regard for colleagues in other professions.Act with sensitivity to the effects our behavior may have on the ability of colleagues to perform as professionals, individually and collectively.Act with due regard for the needs, special competencies, and obligations of colleagues in other professions.Respect the prerogatives and obligations of the institutions or organizations with which these colleagues are associated.5 Social ResponsibilityAccept responsibility for and act with sensitivity to the fact that our recommendations and actions may alter the lives and well-being of people within our client systems and within the larger systems of which they are subsystems.Act with awareness of our own cultural filters and with sensitivity to international and multicultural differences and their implications.Respect the cultural orientations of the individuals, organizations, communities, countries, and other human systems within which we work, including their customers, beliefs, values, morals, and ethics.Recognize and constructively confront the counterproductive aspects of those cultures whenever feasible, but be alert to the effects our own cultural orientation may have on our judgments.Promote justice and serve the well-being of all life on earth.Act assertively with our clients to promote justice and well-being, including:Constructively confronting discrimination whenever possible.Promoting affirmative action in dealing with the effects of past discrimination.Encouraging fairness in the distribution of the fruits of the system’s productivity.Contribute knowledge, skill, and other resources in support of organizations, programs, and activities that seek to improve human welfare.Accept some clients who do not have sufficient resources to pay our full fees and allow them to pay reduced fees or nothing when possible.Engage in self-generated or cooperative endeavors to develop means for helping across cultures.Support the creation and maintenance of cultures that value freedom, responsibility, integrity, self-control, mutual respect, love, trust, openness, authenticity in relationships, empowerment, participation, and respect for fundamental human rights.Withhold service from clients whose purpose(s) we consider immoral, yet recognize that such service may serve a greater good in the longer run and therefore be acceptable.Act consistently with the ethics of the global scientific community of which our OD-HSD community is a part.
Finally, we recognize that accepting this Statement as a guide for our behavior involves holding ourselves to standards that may be more exacting than the laws of any countries in which we practice, the ethics of any professional associations to which we belong, or the expectations of any of our clients.
Source: Gellermann, W., Frankel, M. S., & Ladenson, R. F. (1990). Values and Ethics in Organization and Human Systems Development: Responding to Dilemmas in Professional Life. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Reprinted with permission.
Case Study 2: Analyzing Opportunities for Organization Development Work at Northern County Legal Services
Read the Northern County Legal Services case and consider the following questions:
1 What is it like to work in this environment? How do you respond to Julie as a leader? Compare Julie as a leader with some of the descriptions of leadership styles provided in Chapter 2.
2 What organizational, team, and individual problems can you identify? What opportunities for organization development work do you see?
3 How do the opportunities you have identified illustrate the values and ethical beliefs of organization development identified in this chapter?
“Good morning. Northern County Legal Services,” Christina said. “How can I help you? Yes, I see. Okay, why don’t I schedule a time for you to stop by and talk with one of us about your situation and we can see how we can help? I’m free on the 12th at 3:30 p.m. Does that work for you? Excellent. And you know where our office is located? Yes, right across the street. Good. I’ll look forward to speaking with you then.”
It was already packed in the office of Northern County Legal Services (NCLS), a nonprofit organization located just outside the downtown district. In the small waiting room, nearly 20 clients waited for assistance while a team of staff members handled walk-in visitors and made appointments. With no air-conditioning, the room was starting to get hot on the sunny August afternoon as the chairs filled up.
“I’m sorry. Mr. Gaines? I think you’re next.” Christina looked at the growing crowd.
“Oh, no, no, no, no.” A tall woman rose from her chair and stepped forward, raising her voice. “I’ve been here since 10 a.m. and I was here first. I’m next. He needs to wait his turn.” She looked around the room for support, and some heads nodded as those waiting began to look at one another in frustration.
“Yes, I’m sorry that you’ve waited so long, but Mr. Gaines had made an appointment,” Christina said.
“Yeah, for 11:30,” Mr. Gaines scoffed.
“It will only be a few more minutes until someone is with you,” Christina offered.
“You need to get more organized,” the woman said as she rolled her eyes. She returned to her seat, fanning herself with a 2-year-old copy of an entertainment magazine.
Christina looked her watch: 12:20. Her parking meter was already expired. “Have a seat, sir, and I’ll be right with you.” She grabbed her purse and quickly headed to the front door. “And just where do you think you’re going, Miss?” a voice came from the waiting room. “She can’t take it anymore,” another voice offered, as laughter rose from the corner.
Christina ran the four blocks to where her car was parked. There was already a yellow envelope with a $25 parking ticket lodged under her windshield wiper.
Northern County Legal Service’s mission is to match clients who cannot afford legal counsel with a lawyer willing to offer pro bono services. NCLS specializes in housing and employment law but also matches clients with attorneys who assist with almost any legal need, including domestic violence and family law. The service is free to clients (though some pay for some services on a sliding scale based on their income). The remainder of the funding comes from grants, and the center is staffed almost entirely by a group of 15 volunteers and law school students. Students form the majority of the staff, and they receive internship credit, usually volunteering at the center during their third year of law school. Most students participate in the center only for one semester, and competition among students is tough to receive one of the volunteer slots.
The one full-time employee is a director, Julie, who has been at the center for about 2 years. Aside from running the office, managing volunteers and students, finding attorneys, and conducting training workshops for both students and volunteer attorneys, Julie’s main concern is funding, which is a constant issue.
The small office where NCLS is housed consists of a waiting room and four offices. Julie keeps one of the four offices as her own, and the other three are taken by students or volunteers who work for 10 to 20 hours per week, usually in 4- to 6-hour shifts. Each of the four offices has a computer, and there is one printer shared by the center. At any given time, there might be as many as eight volunteers who share the three offices, meeting with clients to perform the “intake” functions.
The intake process begins with a client who arrives on a walk-in or appointment basis, and the initial meeting usually lasts for about an hour. Depending on the client’s need, the intake paperwork
