This year I have the opportunity to participate on the American Society of Association Executives’ (ASAE) Ethics Committee. As a new member, there is a lot to grasp, but I was pleased to see how much progress this group has made in just the past year.
The committee’s mission is to foster ethical thinking and behavior in ASAE members and their organizations, with the expectation that all members of the association community operate with the highest ethical standards. One of the most significant accomplishments of late was the creation of an ethical decision-making framework that helps association management professionals determine if a problem is an ethical or legal dilemma, and outline the ethical considerations* when devising a plan to address the issue.
One such consideration is “how does the problem relate to the ASAE Standards of Conduct?” Interestingly, many of the new committee members were largely unaware of these which prompted a lengthy discussion about how we could create more awareness of the Code and the decision-making framework.
The Ethics Committee’s Communication team has endeavored to bring their model to the Legal Symposium and is considering an Ethics Award opportunity. The Toolbox team hopes to develop an appraisal tool to use in assessing an organization’s ethical culture and a code of ethics template or a kit to help others build their own code of ethics.
With the launch of ASAE’s AssociationCareerHQ, the Committee is now considering content for the new site related to seeking out an ethical employer who matches your personal moral values, and developing your own personal code of ethics.
The Research team, on which I will be serving, has set out to investigate sample models, identify some professions in which ethics education is a requirement for licensure or recertification, and determine if there is an opportunity to work with the Certification Commission to incorporate an ethics requirement into the CAE certification process.
Stay tuned for updates on our progress. In the meantime, take an opportunity to review the ASAE’s Ethical Decision-Making Model and consider if your association’s Code of Conduct and related policies are the operative tools you need to manage an ethical dilemma.
* Ethical considerations in the ASAE Ethical Decision-Making Framework
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Is it harmful?
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Are there transparency concerns?
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Is the action defensible or rationale?
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Would there be the same concerns if roles were reversed? Develop an appraisal tool to use in assessing an organization’s ethical culture (13); Develop a tool for helping people build a code of ethics for their organization (12); Develop a decision-making model specific to ASAE’s standards of conduct (9)Is the action consistent with applicable values (virtuous)?
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Are there governance or legal concerns?
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How does this relate to the ASAE Standards of Conduct?
