Journal of IOA: The Ombuds' Four Interdependent Standards

Two emeriti Ombuds, Mary Rowe and Bruce MacAllister, have collaborated on the latest article for the latest issue of the Journal of the International Ombuds Association. They explain why each of the four ethical standards are necessary and interdependent on the other standards for Organizational Ombuds. The full article, "The Unique—and Effective—Quartet of Standards of Practice of Organizational Ombuds: Each Standard is Necessary—and Requires the Other Three Standards," is now available online.

Here is the abstract:

Employers in many sectors consider adding an organizational Ombuds (OO) to their conflict management system. However, employers often have questions about this unusual profession. How are the International Ombuds Association (IOA) Standards of Practice different from the standards of other human services professionals within organizations— and different from the standards of other Ombudsmen? How do the IOA Standards of Practice contribute to the effectiveness of OOs?

Organizational Ombuds practice to a unique quartet of Standards of Practice. One or more of the IOA Standards will be familiar to many, based on some similarities in other professions: Independence, Impartiality/Neutrality, Confidentiality, and Informality. But the set of four Standards taken together appears to be unique to OO practice. The four IOA Standards enable OOs to serve an organization and its members effectively—by creating a zerobarrier office (a safe, accessible, fair and credible place) for every organizational constituent to discuss good ideas and difficult or painful concerns. This article explains why each of the four Standards is necessary to create the organizational Ombuds model—and how each Standard supports the other three.

(JIOA 2025.)

Related posts: Emeritus Ombuds With a New Take on Embedded Services; Journal of IOA: An Ombuds Story About Harassment and Bully from Mary Rowe.