Take the IMC USA Consulting Ethics Challenge! 1.) Read this case study; 2.) read the IMC USA Code of Ethics; and 3.) comment below.
The Consulting Ethics Situation
You are about 3 weeks into your project with Tinbet, Inc. You realize they’ve not implemented several mandatory hazardous waste clean-up measures as required by their Compliance Audit from last year.
When you raise this with Troy, the Project Manager, he responds, “We’ve got to make money. In order to do that, we can’t cross every tiny ‘T’ and dot every little ‘I’. What we do here is safe. End of story.”
What Would an Ethical Consultant Do?
Is there an ethical question or potential violation of the IMC USA Code of Ethics?
What, if anything, would you do?
Call to Action:
If you’d like to learn more about ethics in consulting and follow a Code of Ethics, join IMC USA. All members are required to adhere to the IMC USA Code of Ethics as well as our Consultant’s Code of Conduct.
About the Author Liz Weber CMC, CSP
The author of this post, Liz Weber, is a Strategic Leadership Advisor, Certified Management Consultant® (CMC®) and Certified Speaking Professional (CSP). Liz currently serves as IMC USA’s Ethics Chair. Liz holds an MBA in International Business. She has taught for Johns Hopkins University’s Graduate School of Continuing Studies and Georgetown University’s Senior Executive Leadership Program. Liz has supervised business activities in 129 countries and consulted in over 20 countries. She has written ten leadership books and currently writes a monthly blog and posts on social media daily. For more information visit her website and connect with Liz on LinkedIn.
This is a very interesting ethics situation since I am in the solid waste industry field. I would raise the issue of risks involved (penalties, reputation, etc.), provide similar real-world examples and their impacts/results, and propose a compliance plan.
As a solid waste consultant, this case study is very close to my field of work.
I would raise the issue of potential risks of noncompliance (penalties, reputation, environmental, etc.), show real-world examples of what happened to other entities and their impacts, and provide a high-level overview of a compliance plan.
In the world of consulting as you know April, we can only recommend, we can’t mandate. In addition to your suggestions, I would ensure any issues, recommendations, and potential compliance plans you share are clearly documented.