Hostname: page-component-7bb8b95d7b-l4ctd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-09-11T19:09:27.555Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A Role for Ombuds in Embedded Corporate Social Responsibility Processes?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 January 2015

Zachary P. Ulrich
Zachary P. Ulrich*
Affiliation:
Pepperdine University, School of Law
*
E-mail: zachary.ulrich@pepperdine.edu, Address: Pepperdine University, School of Law, 5255 Tilden Avenue, Sherman Oaks, CA 91401
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

My purpose here is to suggest that the often-overlooked organizational ombudsman (OO) role can and should become an influential component of embedded corporate social responsibility (CSR) processes as defined by Aguinis and Glavas (2013). An OO is an employee who works with individuals and groups to help resolve conflicts inside or outside of an organization and who brings systemic concerns to the attention of organizational leadership (Howard, 2010). An OO does this while maintaining the confidentiality of office visitors, operating from a stance of neutrality and impartiality, remaining independent of formal organizational structures, and not adjudicating disputes or otherwise making policy recommendations regarding conflicts (International Ombudsman Association, 2013; Ziegenfuss & O'Rourke, 2011).

Type
Commentaries
Information
Industrial and Organizational Psychology , Volume 6 , Issue 4 , December 2013 , pp. 358 - 360
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology 2013

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adkins, C., Ravlin, E., & Meglino, B. M. (1996). Value congruence between co-workers and its relationship to work outcomes. Group and Organization Management, 21(4), 439–460.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aguinis, H., & Glavas, A. (2013). Embedded versus peripheral corporate social responsibility: Psychological foundations. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 6(4), 314–332.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Erbe, N. (2008). Engaged corporate responsibility: The organizational ombuds as a model. Business Research Yearbook, 401–405.Google Scholar
Fitzpatrick, R. L. (2007). A literature review exploring values alignment as a proactive approach to conflict management. International Journal of Conflict Management, 18(3), 280–305.Google Scholar
Howard, C. (2010). The organizational ombudsman: Origins, roles, and operations: A legal guide. Washington, DC: ABA.Google Scholar
International Ombudsman Association. (2013). What is an organizational ombudsman? Retrieved from http://www.ombudsassociation.org/resources/what-ombudsGoogle Scholar
Jehn, K., Chadwick, C., & Thatcher, S. (1997). To agree or not to agree? The effects of value congruence, individual demographic dissimilarity. International Journal of Conflict Management, 8(4), 287–306.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kehoe, S., & Pointing, R. (2003). Value importance and value congruence as determinants of trust in health policy actors. Social Science and Medicine, 57(6), 1065–1075.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rowe, M. (1995). Options, functions and skills: What an organizational ombudsperson might want to know. Negotiation Journal, 11(2), 103–114.Google Scholar
Rowe, M. (2010). Identifying and communicating the usefulness of organizational ombuds with ideas about OO effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Journal of the International Ombudsman Association, 3(1), 9–23.Google Scholar
Ziegenfuss, J. T. Jr., & O'Rourke, P. (2011). The ombudsman handbook: Designing and managing an effective problem-solving program. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company.Google Scholar