Ethics

Martell Harris

Ethical and Professional Principle

Bellevue University
Ethics

Abstract

Nowadays in society, people can easily be overwhelmed by ambiguities and their ability to make

the right or wrong decisions. We live in an era of diversity and multicultural ideas debating what

exactly is morality. As an outcome, coach’s need to consider this in their work. Coaches can

operate in a variety of fields, such as an individual’s personal life or business professional life in

order to effectively assist their clients. Coaches are particularly skilled in coaching through some

sort of educating or mentoring with another coach, and integrate their personal life experiences

in their coaching practice.

Coaches can use a range of labels, varying from a coach, consultant, counselor and advisor. Even

though not every coach assesses their development the same, the objective is to continuously

help the client attain their goals or changes in an effective way applicable to the client using

viable approaches. Appropriate to the private nature of most coaching interactions, ethics

specifies the structure and values that professional coaches should embody in their practice. This

literature review examines the process of coaching and provides a solid understanding of the

ethical process to heighten coaching efficacy. In addition, ethical and confidential issues require

attentiveness when preparing to engage with a client. Lastly, this literature implicates the need to

better understand coaching ethics and how they classically function.

Key Words: Coach, Client, Morality, Goals, Ethics, Efficacy, Confidentiality

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Introduction

The quantity of coaching jobs, necessities for coaching and coaches has grown

considerably over the years. Some could argue that there are many explanations for this growth.

Once effectively completed, coaching can result in improvements for an individual, group, an

organization and organizational results. A serious element of coaching is ethics, but oddly this is

less conversed rather than coaching models and theories. Ethic’s comparative silhouette in the

coaching literature and in discussions amongst coaches can be suitable to the idea that by chance

ethics is vague and uncertain to them. According to Kaptein (2015), employees can behave

unethically due to the lack of a clear normative framework in the organization; they lack

understanding of what is expected of them or what is permitted and prohibited is shrouded in

vagueness and ambiguity for them. It is thus of utmost importance that employees know and

understand what ethical employee behavior means.

Virtually everybody believes they are operating in an ethical manner. Even the utmost

very experienced coaches and elite of superiors, nonetheless, can catch themselves tangled in

circumstances that produce ethical predicaments or legal concerns. This position can produce

diminished trust of coaches. This can also can harm both the client and the organization.

Unfortunately, this situation can generate many cruel consequences, involving possible legal

fees. Unless these circumstances are organized and focused on appropriately in development, the

productivity of the effort is liable to be corrupted.

In this literature review, I will examine the subject of ethics in coaching beginning with a

review of the basis of ethics.

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What is Ethics?

As mentioned in the introduction to this literature review, ethics can have diverse

meaning to different people. Ethics is an element that determines what people consider to be

moral or immoral, correct or incorrect, in social interactions. Being an ethical is about the

integrity of assisting others, maintaining the interests of the client at the focal point of the

situation, respecting the trust placed in the coach and encouraging self sufficiency. These

elements are essential in leadership and the overall coaching client relationship. The job of a

coach is to help employees understand how their behaviors may be going out of bounds and to

illuminate appropriate alternative behaviors (Duffy & Passmore, 2010).

Ethics in Coaching
The ethics in coaching section focuses on possible ethical breaches and how coaches

could use codes, their personal principles and insightfulness to handle ethical issues that may

arise in their practices. However, it is more likely that few organizational clients or coachees

know about such codes and if they are aware of them, they are less willing to make a formal

complaint and simply terminate the coaching contract. While such contractual terminations

resolve the issue for the individual client they may fail to protect the wider public from

misconduct and the coaching profession from reputational damage (Passmore, 2009).

Bases of ethical issues

The bases of ethical issues can generate from many causes such as problems with the

client, problems with the coach, boundary concerns and problems generating from the multiple

relationship element of coaching in organizations.

Ethics

Problems with the client.

Problems with the client could consist of emotional, character or social problems. Both of

which can be a sign to the client being a threat to themselves, the people they interact with and

even their organization of employment. When this problem presents arises, a coach has to make

choices how best approach the situation or to leave it be.

Problems with the coach.

Much like problems with the client, problems with the coach can also be character,

emotional or social. The coach may have characteristic problems or find it problematic to

terminate coaching when it appears to be the appropriate move to take going forward. Coach’s

must remember that the best coaching relationships happen when there is an essence of trust and

a clear level of dependence is formed between the client and the coach. Encouragement as well

as the aspiration to discover more about oneself can influence prolongation of coaching efforts

by coaches. Even well qualified coaches are motivated to resume relations beyond full

helpfulness to the client. Coaching rapport in organizations should not last beyond goal

attainment of client objectives, except other organizational objectives have been recognized later.

Part of being a professional coach is helping generate an atmosphere to progressively move the

client into individuality and assist them to improve options for reassurance other than the coach.

Boundary Complications.

Boundaries lines can be stepped over by multiple parties involved in the coaching

relationship. These boundaries could be composed overtly in the method of professional codes or

can be presented as ethics of practice understood within coaching. The problems encountered as

an effect of one of the parties stepping over clear boundaries are further aggravated by the idea
Ethics

that there is a large level of ambiguity in the innovative field of coaching. Guidelines frequently

prove insufficient and policies are permissive.

Problems generated from multiple relationships.

These problems surface as a result of the coach operating for several clients or parties

during the same timeframe. The coach could be requested to participate in something ethically

problematic by aiding one specific client over the other. If an issue like this was to happen, the

coach would to evaluate who their client is, who should be given aid and what ethics could be

compromised and boundaries stepped lines stepped over by representing one client or the other.

Although the term multiple relationships are not mentioned in the IAC and the ICF codes of

ethics, both associations address the importance of respect for clients ’dignity, autonomy, and

privacy through such terms as conflict of interest, unfair discrimination, exploitation, and misuse

of power and influence. Therefore, coaches always should steer clear of secondary relationships

with clients that potentiality could undo or negate the gains clients have made and paid for in the

coaching relationship (Anderson, Williams, & Kramer, 2012).

Ethical Decision Making Model

The ethical decision making ACTION model allows coaches to integrate their own

principles and viewpoints as part of the decision process and for the coach to be go back and

forth to the model when necessary. The ACTION model consist six stages. The framework

offered is a starting point. As ethical dilemmas come from a diverse range of sources, with no

two situations being exactly the same, this necessitates different methods of intervention. It is

easily put to use and can easily be applied by novices (Duffy & Passmore, 2010).

1. Awareness - The process starts with awareness of the ethical code of the professional
body that the coach is affiliated with. Secondly, it involves awareness of one’s own
personal values and beliefs. Thirdly, reflection on how these different codes fit
together is necessary.
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2. Classify - This stage involves the identification of the issue as it emerges in practice
and the ability to classify the issue as a ‘dilemma’. Key issues within this will be the
individuals, organizations and context in which the issue is emerging.
3. Time for reflection, support and advice - At this stage the coach takes time to
personally reflect on the issue. During this period, which maybe a few seconds, but is
better if this is several hours or days if the situation allows, the coach may draw on a
combination of experience, peer support networks, their supervisor and previous
personal reflections in learning journals and diaries.
4. Initiate - During this stage the coach will build a number of solution options to the
ethical dilemma.
5. Option evaluation - With each option the coach will consider the risks and benefits
associated with them and how each option may fit with personal and professional
codes, as well as legal requirements and contracts. The coach may discuss these
further with their peers, supervisor or others before selecting a final course of action
to implement.
6. Novate - Once the appropriate course of action has been selected, the coach will
incorporate this new approach into their ethical journal/experiences. It may also be
prudent to share such a scenario (in a confidential manner), with those within one’s
own network or coaching body, so that colleagues can benefit from the situation and
the learning associated with real dilemmas.

Lastly, Duffy and Passmore (2010) reminds coaches that a custom made framework

should be created by each coach to reflect their own personal ethical position and the values of

the professional bodies to which they belong.

Conclusion

Effective coaching is much more complex than it might initially appear. It can be

troubled with problem-solving, reliance, privacy and boundary issues that the beginner or raw

prospect can simply oversee or neglect. If ethics are disregarded and, consequently, overlooked

before coaching commences it can damage both the client and the organization. A clear

understanding of ethics, case evaluation, rapport and contracting previous to establishment of

coaching are essential to safeguard effective results and prevent unintentional consequences.

It is extremely important that coaches remember that the fundamental importance of

ethics to good coaching practice highlights the significance of coaches and supervisors

understanding available ethical codes and how to apply the contents to their everyday practice.
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This helps to build coaching competence, which will in turn enhance the coach’s ability to apply

ethical standards effectively. This can be complex as there may be circumstances when

difference principles within a code could be seen to be in conflict and the coach may be faced

with an ethical dilemma to resolve. It is considered to be part of the nature of ethics that these

issues may be challenging to resolve in some circumstances and this is where supervision can be

a great value in helping the coach to resolve more complex dilemmas or to come up with the

course of action that leads to the best consequences in that particular situation (Passmore, 2011).
Ethics

References

Anderson, S. K., Williams, P., & Kramer, A. L. (2012, January 1). Life and Executive Coaching:
Some Ethical Issues for Consideration. Retrieved from:
http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.bellevue.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=20&sid=2a09ec1
e-ed94-4a15-902f-f93a45e68b6e%40pdc-v-sessmgr01

Duffy, M., & Passmore, J. (2010, September 1). Ethics in coaching: An ethical decision making
framework for coaching psychologists. Retrieved from:
http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.bellevue.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=5&sid=2a09ec1e
-ed94-4a15-902f-f93a45e68b6e@pdc-v-sessmgr01

Kaptein, M. (2015, December 8). The Effectiveness of Ethics Programs: The Role of Scope,
Composition, and Sequence. Retrieved from:
http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.bellevue.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=58&sid=2a09ec1
e-ed94-4a15-902f-f93a45e68b6e%40pdc-v-sessmgr01

Passmore, J. (Ed.). (2009, June 1). Coaching ethics: Making ethical - decisions novices and
experts. Retrieved from:
http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.bellevue.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=34&sid=2a09ec1
e-ed94-4a15-902f-f93a45e68b6e%40pdc-v-sessmgr01

Passmore, J. (2011, January 1). Supervision in Coaching: Supervision, Ethics and Continuous
Professional Development. Retrieved from:
http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.bellevue.edu/eds/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzM5MDQz
M19fQU41?sid=90796a0d-bf3f-47b3-9a3d-
34852de1dbe9@sessionmgr4006&vid=2&format=EB