Methodology choice and consulting ethics in management science

This paper has been written against a background of growing concern for business and professional ethics generally, and draws most of its material from the field of organisation development where such issues have been on the agenda for more than a decade. It is the author's view that a cross-fertilisation of ideas on the subject of ethical practice between OD and Management Science/Operational Research is long overdue. There is a rising awareness within MS/OR that systems or contingency approaches to consultancy interventions call for the ability to discriminate between situations, so that an appropriate choice of methodology may be made. There is less awareness of the ethical issues which this implies. Consultants are required to be competent in making such choices, not to misrepresent their capabilities, and to take account of conflicting interests within organisations. This calls, among other things, for impartiality, diagnostic skill and a general understanding of behaviour in organisations. Following an analysis of obligations to clients and other affected parties, a summary of guiding principles for ethical consulting practice is offered.