{"id":872,"date":"2021-10-27T15:59:45","date_gmt":"2021-10-27T15:59:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mitmgmtfaculty.mit.edu\/mrowe\/?page_id=872"},"modified":"2026-04-07T22:51:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T22:51:28","slug":"the-organizational-ombuds-role","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mitmgmtfaculty.mit.edu\/mrowe\/the-organizational-ombuds-role\/","title":{"rendered":"The Organizational Ombuds\u2019 Role"},"content":{"rendered":"

Functions, Standards of Practice, and Effectiveness and Value <\/h2>

This page includes articles, chapters, reports, and working papers that discuss a range of topics related to the role of the organizational ombuds. The material is organized into four sections. (A few articles are mentioned in more than one section, and some articles also appear on other pages of this website.) The sections are:<\/p>\n

I.\u00a0 \u00a0The Functions, Standards of Practice, and Professional Values of Organizational Ombuds<\/a>
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\nII.\u00a0 The Effectiveness and Value of Organizational Ombuds<\/a>
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\nIII. Some Self-Help Materials from an Ombuds Office<\/a>
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IV. Some Examples of Ombuds Communications<\/a> (Articles in the MIT Faculty Newsletter<\/em>)
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Back to Main Research Page<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

I. The Functions, Standards of Practice, and Professional Values of Organizational Ombuds<\/h3>\n

This section contains articles (from 1986 to the present, in reverse chronological order) about the ombuds profession, including: an illustrative ombuds case; communicating about the most serious and high-risk ombuds cases; some early history of the ombuds profession; ombuds training materials; reports of ombudsman surveys; an overview about what organizational ombuds do and do not<\/em> do; and an examination of the importance of organizational ombuds for helping to build community, support the values and mission of the organization, and deal with risks. There also are two Ombudsman Handbooks.<\/p>\n

The articles discuss:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00bb<\/strong> the professional values<\/em> of an organizational ombuds, including impartiality, fairness, and objectivity in the treatment of people and the consideration of issues.<\/p>\n

\u00bb<\/strong> the standards of practice<\/em> 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.)<\/p>\n

\u00bb<\/strong> the functions<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n

\u00bb<\/strong> some tools of the ombuds profession, such as the uses of data and the utility of generic options (which deal with issues<\/em> rather than with individuals)<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u00bb<\/strong> some challenges encountered in ombuds work, such as dealing with the fear of violence or dealing with people who \u201cwon\u2019t let go.\"<\/p>\n

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