Is it an ethical dilemma for sure? - Speaking of Ethics - case study of ethical dilemma related to training

T+D, May, 2002 by Tim Hatcher

Speaking of Ethics describes a real-world ethical dilemma related to training. Two HRD professionals describe what they would do. They may refer to such guides as the Academy of Human Resource Development's Standards on Ethics and Integrity www.ahrd.org but the cases aren't intended to provide absolute answers. The responses aren't a resolution, a standard operating procedure, or a policy for ethical problems. They're designed to stimulate thinking, offer different viewpoints, and help people with similar challenges.

This month's case involves a corporate evaluation specialist researching a customer service problem. The name of the company has been changed.

The Case of the Evaluator's Dilemma

Keen Idea is a U.S. retail high-end general merchandiser with a focus on quality customer service. With more than 100 stores (mostly in large cities), Keen Idea employs 15,000 people. Each store has 100 to 150 workers and 10 departments ranging from clothing and toys to hardware and electronics. Each department has a supervisor who oversees six to 11 people.

Each new employee is given orientation training consisting of a series of videotapes on customer service, product familiarity, and information systems. In addition, supervisors use role play to train new employees individually, and they place employees with a mentor for their first three months of employment.

The corporate vice president of operations has recently noticed an unusually high number of customer service complaints in three of the large urban Midwest stores. The standard survey form for measuring customer satisfaction indicates that customers feel they're being ignored and that employees aren't interested in assisting them. Several customers noted that employees seem unwilling to approach them because of their appearance or ethnicity. Another complaint is that employees are often conversing with each other rather than attempting to help customers.

The operations VP called a teleconference with the three store managers to discuss the complaints. Managers assured her that they'd take care of the situation by talking with the department supervisors and trainers. A month later, complaints had increased 10 percent. The VP contacts you.

As a corporate training evaluation specialist, you agree to devise a plan that focuses on the extent customers are satisfied with their experience at Keen Idea's three Midwest stores and the extent employees are using the customer service skills they were trained on. You

* design and pilot test a multi-item customer satisfaction survey that elicits quantitative and qualitative data about the quality of customer service and observation of customer service skills at the three stores.

* contact the customer service department and request several mystery shoppers, Keen Idea employees who pose as typical customers. Each shopper visits each store twice a week over a one-month period and completes a survey after each visit. The shoppers are told not to identify any employee by name.

* collect and analyze the data, and present the results.

Only the three store managers and a few supervisors are told about the evaluation; employees are not told. The results: Nearly 70 percent of the mystery shoppers report having negative experiences and not observing customer service skills. After reviewing the results with the operations VP, you share them with the store managers and selected supervisors, who react negatively and say the results are inaccurate and unrepresentative of the quality of customer service and training in their stores. You reiterate that the data is valid, but they're adamant.

Puzzled and concerned by their zeal, you meet again with the operations VP, who insists that you contact the mystery shoppers and find out the names of the employees who failed to provide quality service. Her justification is that you could provide specific feedback to the managers and help them find ways to reward, further develop, remediate, or dismiss certain employees. You remind her it was agreed that employees' names wouldn't be provided on the surveys or final report-and that her plan is a reversal of what was promised to the store managers and supervisors. The VP persists. You ask for 24 hours to consider the issue.

Response 1

Jennifer B. Kahnweiler, president, About YOU, a career coaching and training organization based in Atlanta

This case presented real opportunities for an internal consultant to add value to the business. Unfortunately, several ethical boundaries were crossed that prevented that from happening. There was a clear lack of alignment between the two parties about the purpose of the evaluation. It appears that the consultant's goal was to collect and analyze data on the extent of customer service problems in three under-performing stores, but the VP's agenda was to use the data to identify and help (or dismiss) problem employees.

It also appears that the VP saw the consultant's role as just the collector of data as she planned to use the evaluation to support her assumption that employees were the main cause of the customer service problems. The VP also asked that the consultant deliver the negative results to the managers, thus forcing the consultant into a position of having to defend the data.