SAN FRANCISCO, CA – 11 May 2006 – According to a global survey of over 1,800 communication professionals, conducted by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Research Foundation, communicators are divided over their advisory role to senior management on addressing ethical issues.
According to the new study, The Business of Truth: A Guide to Ethical Communication, the majority of respondents agreed that ethical considerations are a vital part of executive decision-making and that public relations and communication professionals should advise management on ethical matters. However, the research uncovered a clear divide between communicators on whether or not they should act as the principal ethical conscience or counsel in an organization.
On one side of the divide are communicators who believe that ethics and corporate reputation concerns go hand-in-hand, making ethical counseling a natural component of public relations and communications. On the other side are practitioners who believe that they are not positioned to be the primary advisors to management on ethics because of the complex nature of the issues (embedded in operating rules and regulations) and such critical responsibilities should fall under the legal or compliance functions.
Shannon A. Bowen, Ph.D., principal investigator of the research team and assistant professor at the University of Maryland, observed, “An encouraging finding of this study is that 65 percent of the sample reported having some influence in their dominant coalitions, with 30 percent of those practitioners telling us that they report directly to the CEO. Clearly public relations holds influence at the policy level of many organizations—a significant improvement over past research findings.‿
The research also revealed that while communicators do often play the role of ethics counsel or core values manager in their organizations, less than 30 percent of respondents had received any education or training in ethics. Further, 63 percent of communicators said that their current employers did not provide them with any additional ethics training or education such as seminars and workshops.
According to Paul Sanchez, ABC, APR, chair of the IABC Research Foundation, “This latest research draws attention to the critical role played by corporate communicators in dealing with ethical concerns facing organizations. The current lack of adequate education and training on the subject presents a challenge for the field and underscores the importance of professional ethical standards for communicators, such as IABC’s Code of Ethics.‿
The IABC Research Foundation received responses to its ethics survey from 1,827 communication professionals from around the world. In addition, qualitative data was collected through focus groups and in-depth interviews with senior and middle-level communicators in North America, New Zealand, Israel and Australia.
The Business of Truth: A Guide to Ethical Communication includes quantitative and qualitative research findings, an examination of theories of ethics, and a toolkit with workbooks and PowerPoint training modules. Visit http://store.yahoo.com/iabcstore/buoftr.html or call +1 415.544.4700 or 800.776.4222 for more information.
Who do you think is the ethical conscience of an organization? Participate in IABC’s quick online poll and cast your vote at www.iabc.com/polls/1 .
About IABC
The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) is a global network of communication professionals committed to improving organizational effectiveness through strategic communication. Established in 1970, IABC serves more than 13,000 members in 67 countries, 100 chapters and 10,000 organizations.
About the IABC Research Foundation
The IABC Research Foundation translates communication theory into practice, providing real-world knowledge and applications for the communication profession. Established in 1982, the Foundation is a tax-exempt organization with benefits to the donor under U.S. tax law. For more information, visit www.iabc.com/rf .
About the IABC Code of Ethics
Because hundreds of thousands of business communicators worldwide engage in activities that affect the lives of millions of people, and because this power carries with it significant social responsibilities, the International Association of Business Communicators developed a Code of Ethics for Professional Communicators. The Code is published in several languages and is available at www.iabc.com/about/code.htm .
The Code is based on three different yet interrelated principles of professional communication that apply throughout the world:
1. Professional communication is legal.
2. Professional communication is ethical.
3. Professional communication is in good taste.
