Code of professional ethics
Introduction
The Code is based on the values and principles of management consultants adopted by the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (ICMCI). The Code provides guidelines for behavior in various counseling situations and establishes boundaries between acceptable and unacceptable behavior. The Code contains principles and rules that are equally applicable to the consultant's personal professional conduct as well as to colleagues, suppliers, and clients.
The CMC-Ukraine consultant's code of ethics aims to:
1. Assist consultants in the implementation of the CMC-Ukraine Mission.
2. To protect the interests of the Client, who cannot fully control the consulting process, in order to avoid manipulative methods of imitation by the consultant of his professionalism.
3. To protect the interests of the Management Consultant, providing him with general ethical bases for decision-making in specific professional situations.
4. Protect the interests of the professional community, building qualified demand from clients and ensuring high standards of management consulting practice.
Ethical responsibility of the consultant
By becoming a member of CMC-Ukraine, the consultant subscribes to this Code of Ethics and is responsible for his behavior and accepted consequences. The consultant also understands that, violating the Code, he can be excluded from the membership of CMC-Ukraine.
The consultant is obliged to inform his client that he adheres to the Code of Ethics of the CMC-Ukraine consultant and is responsible for its implementation. In cases where a management consultant cannot independently resolve ethical issues regarding his actions in a certain situation, he turns to colleagues or the CMC-Ukraine Ethics, Membership and Finance Committee for help.
The mission of the consultant of the All-Ukrainian Association of Management Consultants (CMC-Ukraine)
The mission of a consultant - a member of the All-Ukrainian Association of Management Consultants - is to promote the development of a qualified client market using professional management consulting methods. Members of the Association also realize their personal commercial and professional interests through and within CMC-Ukraine.
Values, principles and rules of conduct of a CMC-Ukraine consultant
The benchmarks of the CMC-Ukraine consultant's activities are determined by the values and principles (general requirements) adopted by the ICMCI (specified in the document).
The ethical principles of CMC-Ukraine consultant activity are implemented in the Rules of Conduct - (specified in the document). These Rules specify the observance of ethical principles from three sides:
▪ when interacting with clients
▪ when interacting with colleagues
▪ when interacting with society
1. Value – Competence
1.1. Observance by the consultant of the limits of his professional competence.
1.1.1. The limits of a consultant's competence are determined by education, qualifications and relevant professional experience.
1.1.2. The consultant must know and be able to confirm the limits of his professional competence.
1.1.3. The consultant must be sure that the tools he uses are adequate to solve the tasks, and that his use takes into account the limits of applicability.
1.2. Expansion of the limits of the consultant's competence occurs at the expense of the resources of the professional community.
1.2.1. In cases where the necessary measures are beyond the competence of the consultant, he seeks professional help from colleagues who have the appropriate competences.
1.2.2. The consultant does everything possible to improve the competence of his work, mastering the "zones of immediate development".
2. Value – Openness
2.1. Openness of partnership positions in relations with the client.
2.1.1. The consultant provides reasoned information to the client about all the facts and actions that concern the client's interests in the consulting process.
2.1.2. The consultant is obliged to inform the client of information about his professional competences and their limits, as well as about the use of methods that have not been verified by practice.
2.1.3. The consultant informs the client about possible negative consequences or existing risks in the consulting process
2.2. Openness of disputes, discussions and experience of consultants.
2.2.1. The consultant does not refuse an open public discussion among colleagues of his consulting methods and practices
2.2.2. The consultant willingly goes to transfer his experience and work methods to colleagues on mutually agreed terms, supports colleagues in difficult consulting cases.
3. Value – Honesty
3.1. Impartiality of the consultant's position and intentions.
3.1.1. The consultant provides the client with information that is important to achieve the goals of the consultation, even if it is unpleasant or causes discomfort to the client himself. He does this without degrading the dignity of the client.
3.1.2. The consultant informs all interested parties about who his client is and whose interests he represents in solving specific situations.
3.1.3. In the event that the consultant does not consider it possible for him (including for ethical reasons) to fulfill this or that order or request, he immediately and with reasons notifies clientabout this.
3.1.4. The consultant does not participate in counseling the illegal actions of his clients or colleagues, and does not participate in the application of dishonest work methods by clients.
4. Value – Reliability and responsibility
4.1. Observance of obligations undertaken by the consultant.
4.1.1. The consultant is obliged to fulfill all selected contractual or contractual obligations in a high-quality and timely manner.
4.1.2. In the event that, for one reason or another, the contractual obligations cannot be fulfilled, the consultant informs the client about this in a timely manner.
4.2. Confirmation of the consultant's reputation and reliability.
4.2.1. When working with a client, a consultant must be ready to confirm his reputation with testimonials and recommendations from other clients.
5. Value – Objectivity and independence
5.1. Lack of personal interests and relationships in the client's company.
5.1.1. The consultant cannot represent the interests of third parties in the client's company who pay him remuneration in any form. He does not allow conflicts of interest between his clients.
5.1.2. In the process of work, the consultant avoids dependence on the influence of any party in the client's company (or outside it) and does not lobby anyone's interests.
5.1.3. The consultant does not enter into any personal relationships with representatives of the client's company and does not allow his personal interests to influence the course of consulting work.
6. Value – Confidentiality
6.1. Not using insider information for private purposes.
6.1.1. Nowhere and under no circumstances does the consultant distribute information that harms the client (except for cases provided by current legislation).
6.1.2. The consultant does not have the right to use the information received in the process of consulting for profit (for example, by buying and selling shares and options of companies) for 2 years, but not less than the time stipulated by the NDA
6.2. Clients' right to privacy.
6.2.1. The consultant must discuss with clients or organizations the issues of confidentiality and necessary restrictions on the use of information obtained during work.
6.2.2. Confidentiality is regulated by the Agreement or a special document and stipulated in the contract with the client.
6.2.3. The consultant is responsible for the required level of confidentiality when collecting, processing, transferring and storing written, automated or other information.
6.2.4. During consultations with colleagues, in scientific or professional communication, as well as in publications, lectures or other public speeches, consultants do not share information that could lead to the identification of the client, except for cases when a written (or oral) consent to the disclosure of this information was received permission, or the information is so altered/outdated as to make the customer unrecognizable and not harmful.
7. Value – Professionalism
7.1. Prohibition on discrediting the profession and defaming colleagues (preserving the dignity of the profession).
7.1.1. In public speeches, articles and other publications, consultants - members of VACU are not allowed to make remarks, disrespectful statements towards colleagues and the entire professional community as a whole, which discredit the community.
7.1.2. Disrespectful attitude, open threats and publically displayed negative emotions of a consultant in relation to colleagues are considered unethical behavior and dealt with by the Ethics, Membership and Finance Committee.
7.1.3. The consultant respects copyright and related rights and does not allow himself to appropriate the results of other people's intellectual work
7.1.4. The consultant is responsible for his professional actions, ethical behavior towards clients, colleagues and in society and does not allow actions that may lead to reputational risks for the Association.
7.1.5. All disputes regarding the discrediting of the profession and defamation are, first of all, resolved by the Ethics Committee at the request of the consultant whose interests have been violated.
7.2. Promotion of recognition of the profession of consultant and the professional community.
7.2.1 The consultant in public communications, together with his own brand, promotes the prestige of the profession by obtaining titles and ranks, identifies himself as a member of the SMS-UKRAINE community or the NGO "VAKU", and correctly notes the presence of a valid international SMS certification and compliance with the standard ISO 20700.
8. Value - Serving
8.1 Contribution to the development of the community and society
8.1.1 The consultant makes efforts and time to work in community and society development projects (in Association committees, helps in the development of young colleagues, communities, socially significant projects and initiatives), including on a volunteer basis.
8.1.2 The consultant contributes to the development of the professional community by attracting new colleagues and other professionals to cooperation.
8.1.3 The consultant contributes to the dissemination and promotion of information about the management consultant profession, the activities of the Association and its contribution to the development of the consulting market, business and society.
8.1.4 The Consultant shall endeavor to protect the public interest in safety, health and welfare, opposes improper treatment of the environment.
Sanctions
A management consultant - a member of CMC-Ukraine is obliged to comply with all the provisions of this Consultant Code of Ethics.
The CMC-Ukraine Committee on Professional Ethics must consider all appeals from clients, consultants and other providers on issues related to ethical claims to management consultants - members of CMC-Ukraine, and also make relevant Conclusions at the General Meeting of CMC-Ukraine.
A member of CMC-Ukraine may be expelled from the Association if evidence of a violation of the Consultant's Code of Ethics is received and a corresponding decision is made by the General Meeting of the All-Ukrainian Association of Management Consultants.