The Organizational Ombuds’ Role and Standards of Practice

This page contains articles (from 1984 to the present, in reverse chronological order) about the ombuds profession.

The articles discuss:

• the standards of practice of an organizational ombuds: independence, confidentiality, neutrality or impartiality, and informality. (Informality refers to the fact that the ombuds is not authorized to make management decisions; provide redress; keep case records for the employer; accept notice; or speak for the employer. Interaction with the ombuds is voluntary for all constituents.)
• the professional values of an organizational ombuds, including impartiality, fairness, and objectivity in the treatment of people and the consideration of issues.
• the functions of organizational ombuds: what they do and do not do; their work in comparison to the work of other types of ombudsmen; and their functions in comparison with those of other offices in their organizations.

• "The Unique—and Effective—Quartet of Standards of Practice of Organizational Ombuds: Each Standard is Necessary—and Requires the Other Three Standards." Rowe, Mary, and Bruce MacAllister. Journal of the International Ombuds Association Vol. 18, Issue 1: 45-54.
• "A Taxonomy of Organizational Ombuds: Descriptors of the Employment of Organizational Ombuds who Practice to IOA Standards of Practice." Rowe, Mary, Timothy Hedeen, Jennifer Schneider, and Hector Escalante. Working paper, December 2024.
• "What Do Organizational Ombuds Do? And Not Do?" Rowe, Mary, Timothy Hedeen, Jennifer Schneider, and Hector Escalante. Working paper, December 2024.
• "Becoming an Ombuds at MIT." Rowe, Mary. Conflict Resolution Quarterly Vol. 40, Issue 4 (Summer 2023): 497-504.
• "Organizational Ombudsman." Rowe, Mary, and Randy Williams. In Cutting Edge Advances in Resolving Workplace Disputes, 97-111. New York, NY: The International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution, 2014. (Note: This chapter includes a table that shows how organizational ombuds complement the roles of other conflict management offices in an organization.)
• “The Organizational Ombudsman.” Rowe, Mary, and Howard Gadlin. In The Oxford Handbook of Conflict Management in Organizations, edited by William K. Roche, Paul Teague, and Alexander J.S. Colvin. Oxford University Press, 2014.
• "The Solo Organizational Ombudsman Practitioner... and Our Need for Colleagues...A Conversation.” (PDF) Rowe, Mary, and Brian Bloch. Journal of the International Ombudsman Association Vol. 5, No. 2 (2012): 18-22.
• “Informality, the Fourth Standard of Practice” (PDF). Rowe, Mary. Journal of the International Ombudsman Association Vol. 5, No. 1 (Winter 2012): 8-17.
• "Ombudsman." Rowe, Mary, and Howard Gadlin. In The Oxford International Encyclopedia of Peace, edited by Nigel J. Young. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.
• "An Organizational Ombuds Office in a System for Dealing with Conflict and Learning from Conflict, or ‘Conflict Management System.'" Rowe, Mary. Harvard Negotiation Law Review Vol. 14 (2009): 279-288.
• “The Organizational Ombudsman.” Rowe, Mary, and Yoshiko Takahashi. The Japanese Journal of Labour Studies Vol. 48, No. 1 (January 2006): 46-56.
• “The Organizational Ombuds” (PDF). Rowe, Mary P., and Wilbur Hicks. In Resource Book for Managing Employment Disputes. CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution, 2004.
• “What Is It Like to Be an Organizational Ombudsperson?” Rowe, Mary P. Perspectives on Work Vol. 1, No. 2 (1997): 60-4.
• “Similarities and Differences Between Public and Private Sector Ombudsmen.” Rowe, Mary, and Dean M. Gottehrer. March 1997 working paper prepared for the spring meeting of the American Bar Association, Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice, April 18, 1997, Washington, D.C.
• The Corporate Ombudsman Handbook, second edition. Hendry, James, Virgil M. Marti, Carole Trocchio, Ann Bensinger, and Mary Rowe, eds. The Ombudsman Association, 1994.
• "Corporate Ombudsmen: Functions, Caseloads, Approaches and Outcomes."  Ziegenfuss, James T., Jr., Mary Rowe, and Robert F. Munzenrider. Journal of Health and Human Resources Administration Vol. 15, No. 3 (Winter 1993): 261-280. (Note: Includes results of a 1989 survey of 55 corporate ombudsmen.)
• "An Overview of Client and Internal Ombudsmen." Rowe, Mary P. Journal of Health and Human Resources Administration Vol. 15, No. 3 (Winter 1993): 259-260.
• "The Ombudsman's Role in a Dispute Resolution System." Rowe, Mary P. Negotiation Journal Vol. 7, No. 4 (October 1991): 353-361. (Note: This article includes a discussion of whether “an ombuds has any power” and early estimates about cost-effectiveness of ombuds.)
• "Ombudsman Dilemmas: Confidentiality, Neutrality, Testifying, Record-Keeping." Rowe, Mary P., Mary G. Simon, and Ann Bensinger. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution (SPIDR) 1989, 282-293. SPIDR, 1990. Also reprinted in Journal of Health and Human Resources Administration Vol. 15, No. 3 (Winter 1993): 329-340.
• “Should an Ombudsman Testify?”  Rowe, Mary. BNA Alternative Dispute Resolution Report Vol. 3 (June 1989): 222-223.
• "Corporate Ombudsmen."  Ziegenfuss, James T., Jr.,  Mary Rowe, Lee Robbins, and Robert Munzenrider. Personnel Journal, March 1989: 76-79.
• “Ombuds Jobs are Proliferating, and Characterized by Diversity” (PDF). Rowe, Mary. BNA Alternative Dispute Resolution Report Vol. 2 (May 25, 1988): 198-99.
• The Ombudsman Handbook, first (draft) edition. Hendry, James, Mary Rowe, et al., co-editors. Corporate Ombudsman Association, May 1987.
• “Corporate Ombudsmen: An Exploratory National Survey of Purposes and Activities.”  Ziegenfuss, James T., Jr.,  Lee Robbins, and Mary Rowe, for the Fourth Annual Corporate Ombudsman Association Meeting, May 1987.
• "The Corporate Ombudsman: An Overview and Analysis." Rowe, Mary. Negotiation Journal Vol. 3, No. 2 (April 1987): 127-140.
• "The Ombudsman as an Ounce of Prevention." Roddy, John, and Mary P. Rowe. Industry Vol. 51, No. 3 (March 1987): 42-44.
• "The Growing Phenomenon of the Ombuds." Rowe, Mary. Alternatives to the High Cost of Litigation Vol 4. No. 10, (October 1986): 3-6.
• “Are You Hearing Enough Employee Concerns?” (PDF)  Rowe, Mary P., and Michael Baker. Harvard Business Review Vol. 62, No. 3 (May-June 1984): 127-136. (Note: This article provides an overview of non-union complaint systems in the US.)
  

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  Visit these related pages to learn more about ombuds' work:

• Organizational Ombuds' Skills and Strategies
• The Effectiveness and Value of Organizational Ombuds
• Ombuds Case Material, Stories, Teaching Cases, and Teaching Notes
• Self-Help Materials and Ombuds Communications
• Operationally Useful Data About the Value and Effectiveness of Organizational Ombuds: A Resource Repository of Working Papers for Comment
• Integrated Conflict Management Systems (ICMS) and the Organizational Ombuds’ Role Therein

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