Page 68 - DMGT520_ORGANIZATION_CHANGE_AND_DEVELOPMENT

Unit 4: Power, Politics and Ethics in OD

6. Client Manipulation: In discussing the ethical dilemmas of the change agent, Kelman Notes
discusses the problem of manipulation, pointing out that behavior changes, “ inevitably
involves some degree of manipulation and control, and at least an implicit imposition of
the change agent’s values on the client or the person he (or she) is influencing” (Kelmen,
1969). This places the practitioners with two horns of dilemmas: (1) any attempt to change
is in itself a change and thereby a manipulation, no matter how slight, and (2) there exists
no formula or method to structure a change situation so that such manipulation can be
totally absent. To attack the first aspect of the dilemma, Kelman stresses freedom of
choice, seeing any action that limits freedom of choice as being ethically ambiguous or
worse. To attack the second aspect, Kelmen argues that the OD practitioner must remain
keenly aware of her or his own value system and alert to the possibility that these values
are being imposed upon a client. In other words, one way out of the dilemma is to make
the change effort as open as possible, with the free consent and knowledge of the individuals
involved.

With the demand for the acceptance of OD programs and practitioners increasing rapidly, the
ethical issues surrounding OD’s practices should now receive increased attention. Its popularity
in educational curriculum for practitioners serves as evidence for increased exposure by
investigation and research. Because of the interdisciplinary values and background comprised
in the OD field, ethical consonance among practitioners and consumers alike will require diligent
effort. If OD is ever to be accepted as a legitimate science as well as a profession, then principles
guiding the actions of those providing OD services must no longer be ignored.

Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:

5. ………………… tend to be associated with the decision-making, resource allocation, and
conflict resolution processes in organisation.

6. The ……………… is composed of the sources, locations, and flow of power through the
organisation.

7. ………………….. needs to be politically more sophisticated and active in order to increase
the intervention success.

8. …………………… are the results of behaviors and inappropriate actions or roles on the
part of both change agents and client systems.

9. This dilemmas or choice situation requires the ………………...... or client system to decide
what information is used and how it is used. Misuse of data in OD occurs when the
voluntary consent or confidentiality of the client system is violated or abridged.

Task Discuss the ethical dilemma of Sahara Organization.

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 63