Is the BP Disaster a Wake-up Call for the Ombuds Field?

John Zinsser is a vigorous and thoughtful advocate for Organizational Ombuds, but he is no Pollyanna. He is currently concerned about the role of the Ombuds program at BP and how that will impact perceptions of the field by the public at large, the management/leadership communities and the politically powerful.

Zinsser summarizes the history of BP's Ombuds program and its relationship to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

1. BP Hired a retired formal Judge and a team that has been as large as 12 to receive complaints as Ombudsman....
2. Data available to the public suggests they have managed approximately 200 inbound cases per year. * * * No data is available for later years, even though BPs sustainability report, which annually mentions the Ombuds Program and names Sporkin each year, provides annual case load numbers for its “Open Talk” program. This data suggests case loads for “Open Talk” ranging between 825 in 2009 to over 1000 in 2006, while siting only “43″ cases for the Sporkin lead Ombudsman Office in its first year.
3. BP’s U.S. Office of the Ombudsman, as they call it, is potentially the most expensive Ombuds Program in the world. Especially when considered on a per case basis.
4. This office received a complaint regarding non-compliant behavior that could impact safety of deep water oil rigs operating in the gulf of Mexico. The source of this claim is terminated from BP.
5. The Office of the Ombudsman:
∙ Publicly acknowledges the complaint
∙ Declares the complaint substantiated
∙ Admits that they (Ombudsman) had knowledge of the issue PRIOR to the compliant
∙ Admits the issue exists AFTER the complaint, and the termination of the author of the complaint, and
∙ Accepts BP saying the issue is remedied with out any documentation.

Zinsser is very troubled by the implication that the BP Ombuds could have averted the disaster if it had been been properly structured and actually honored by BP executives. Furthermore, it is no consolation to Zinsser that the BP Ombuds program does not follow either the IOA or USOA standards of practice. 

He concludes that the Ombuds field will "remain a small, caring, dedicated profession, that is misunderstood, if thought of at all," if it "continues to allow the word ['Ombuds'] to describe an exceptionally broad range of structural and behavioral uses." (Conflict Benefit Blog.)

Related posts: Critics Question Independence of BP Ombuds; BP Ombuds Could Draw Scrutiny in Gulf Oil Spill Investigation; Altman Weil Endorses Ombuds Programs for Large Law Firms; Ombuds as Solution to the Financial Meltdown.

Job Posting: National Transportation Safety Board

The NTSB is hiring a Senior Advisor for Workforce Operations in Washington, DC. In addition to advising the Managing Director on workforce concerns and issues, the position also serves as the Agency Ombudsman in resolving internal matters of conflict, dispute and disagreement. Major duties also include directing and managing NTSB's Workplace Alternative Dispute Resolution program. 

The GS-15 position pays $123,758 to $155,500 per year. Applications are due June 15, 2010. (Federal Government Jobs, vacancy no.: WA-TB-10-016.)

Friday Poll: Preaching to the Choir?

Have I written a post about you or your Ombuds program?

Prior: Friday Polls.

University of Colorado Denver Ombuds Reports 31% Jump in Cases

The Ombuds Office for students, staff, and faculty at CU Denver reported that it assisted 371 people in the 2008-09 fiscal year, a significant increase from 283 in the prior year. In addition, the office provided workshops and other presentations to about 2230 individuals. The office attributed the increase in part to individual concerns related to the poor economy.

In addition to a breakdown of cases, the report also presents some recommendations for the university. The Director of the CU Denver Ombuds Office is Melissa Connell; Mary Chavez Rudolph is the Associate Director and Lisa Neale is Ombuds & Lead Workshop Coordinator. (CU Denver Ombuds 2009 Report.)

Related post: CO-OP Board Announces First Class of Certified Ombuds.

Danish Broadcast Journalist Elected President of ONO

Jacob Mollerup, the Listeners and Viewers Editor at DR (the Danish Broadcasting Corp.), has been selected as the next president of the Organization of News Ombudsmen.

The head of DR's ethics and complaints was elected at ONO's annual conference last month in Oxford, England, and it is the first time the association's will be led by a television and radio journalist. (DR Presse.)

Related posts: Organization of News Ombudsmen Director Argues for 'Cyberombudsmen'; Organization of News Ombudsmen Will Hold 2010 Conference in Oxford.

Resources Online and Beyond for the Aspiring Ombuds

Diane Levin recently offered a list of essential resources for aspiring mediators. Many of these are good resources for aspiring Ombuds and her blog, Mediation Channel, should be regular reading for anyone looking at a career in dispute resolution. Here are some other suggestions for people looking to become Organizational Ombuds.

Current Best Practices

The International Ombudsman Association is the leading association for Organizational Ombuds and its Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice reflect current professional practices. In addition, IOA's statement on Best Practices and the Journal of IOA provide more recent updates and commentary on prevailing standards.

In 2009, the Board of Certification for Certified Organizational Ombudsman Practitioners was established for the purpose of awarding the Certified Organizational Ombudsman Practitioner (CO-OP) credential. One of the objectives of the certification program is to encourage consistent practices by Ombuds.

Blogs and Other Websites

A few Organizational Ombuds write blogs. These do not offer any details about specific cases, but do give some insights on current issues from an Ombuds' perspective. The notable blogs include: Conflict Benefit Blog by John Zinsser (consultant/owner of Pacifica Human Communications), ICANN Ombudsman Blog by Frank Fowlie (Ombuds for the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), Untangled Resolutions by Bathabile Mthombeni (Ombuds at Columbia University), and Friede Blog by Wende Friede (former Corporate Ombudsperson for American Express).

For the larger universe of dispute resolution, there are an abundance of blogs that will be relevant to aspiring Ombuds. In addition to the aforementioned Mediation Channel, I also recommend ADRHub, Mediate.com, and Campus-adr Tech Blog.

Books

There is really only one authoritative text about the field, Chuck Howard's The Organizational Ombudsman: Origins, Roles and Operations - A Legal Guide. The primary purpose of the book is to demonstrate why a properly constituted Organizational Ombuds program should be entitled to a confidentiality recognized in American law. Although this is comprehensive legal reference work, there no book about the day-to-day work of an Organizational Ombuds.

IOA publishes a few books about specific issues ("Reprisal, Retaliation and Redress," "Dealing with the Fear of Violence, "Options, Functions and Skills," etc.), but these are merely short brochures that need updating.

Making Connections With Working Ombuds

Aspiring Ombuds will find that current practitioners are generally willing to share insights and information about the field. Although most Organizational Ombuds will respond to "cold calls," it is often easier when there is a connection. For this reason, many will contact the Ombuds at their alma mater. It is also easy to make connections at an IOA training or annual conference. Although these are expensive, these are an excellent introduction to the field.  Aspiring Ombuds can also make virtually connections through groups at LinkedIn and Facebook.

The Spectrum of Ombuds

Organizational Ombuds are a recent development in the Ombuds field and aspiring Ombuds should know the differences and similarities between the various models of practice. One place to start would be the 2004 American Bar Association white paper, "Standards for the Establishment and Operation of Ombuds Offices," that outlined the differences between Legislative, Executive and Organizational Ombuds models. More information about Legislative and Executive Ombuds (often lumped together as "Classical" Ombuds) can be found at the the International Ombudsman Institute.

Classical Ombuds also have regional resources including African Ombudsman and Mediators Association, Asian Ombudsman Association, Association of Ombudsmen and Mediators of the Francophonie, Australian and New Zealand Ombudsman Association, British and Irish Ombudsman Association, European Ombudsman Institute, Forum of Canadian Ombudsman, Mediterranean Network Mediators and Ombudsmen, and United States Ombudsman Association. Although these are primarily comprised of Classical Ombuds, there are some Organizational members.

In addition, there are also a few organizations for Ombuds working in particular industries, such as Association of Canadian College and University Ombudspersons, Coalition of Federal Ombudsmen, European Network of Ombudsmen in Higher Education, National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center, and Organization of News Ombudsmen.

Update: André Marin is Reappointed as Ontario Ombudsman

The Ontario legislature has unanimously reappointed the province's chief watchdog to a second five-year term after weeks of public controversy. Marin's first term expired March 31 and he has been serving under a contract extension while the government conducted a search for his successor.

In the past several weeks, the Canadian press printed stories--allegedly spread by anonymous Liberals--questioning the Marin's office budget and employee relations. Premier Dalton McGuinty at one point had to tell Liberals to back off their criticisms of Marin, and said the ombudsman had just been doing his job of pointing out government faults. Marin told the Toronto Star that the process have been very difficult, but said that he would not change his style. (Toronto Star.)

Prior posts: Canada's Best-Known Ombuds Will Not be Rehired Automatically, Must Compete For Reappointment; Tweets Offers Perspective on 2010 IOA Conference; André Marin’s IOA Keynote Inspires Columnist.