IMF June 11, 2014
Integrity, Respect, Impartiality, and Honesty represent the Core Values the Fund strives to embrace and nurture. The challenge for Management and staff is to consistently give meaning to each of these words as we carry out our daily work lives through the choices and actions that define us individually and the Fund as a whole.
Awareness – Ethics programs and resource tools are critical in helping us understand what is expected of us and in giving us the external, supportive resources to act accordingly. But to truly embody a set of values we must look within ourselves and be aware of the consequences of our actions. Am I being impartial and respectful? Am I being honest? Will my actions impugn the integrity of the Fund? These are questions we should constantly ask ourselves when confronted with the many situations that challenge us in our interactions with others. The Ethics Office is dedicated to increasing awareness in this regard.
Analysis – The opportunity to reflect both positively and negatively about the effective application of Fund policies in our working situations is key. Mandatory training sessions in which policies are discussed offer such opportunities. In addition, staff surveys such as the one taken in 2013 have helped identify concerns that may require greater attention and targeted outreach to managers as well as staff. For example, although the Fund’s position against retaliation is clearly and strongly stated, the 2013 Staff Survey revealed a lingering hesitancy to report certain types of misconduct.
Action – Fear of retaliation is not unique to the Fund but it must be overcome to more effectively address workplace problems as they arise. Our goal is to create an environment of trust so staffs possess the confidence and tools that will empower them to take action whenever they encounter a situation that is inconsistent with the Fund’s values. Recent studies by ethics experts have shown that when individuals can clearly articulate an institution’s core values they are able to speak out with greater confidence when these values are being compromised. The Ethics Office is also introducing a new approach, “Giving Voice to Values (‘GVV’),” authored by Mary Gentile, a professor at Babson College. This approach assumes that people want to act when confronted with unethical conduct but acknowledges that there are pressures, both internal and external, not to act. To overcome these pressures, we are introducing key GVV steps of anticipating situations, developing an action plan and strategy, and actually scripting and practicing a response to the offending party. Through these steps issues can be addressed meaningfully at the earliest opportunity before they rise to the level of misconduct.
Accountability – The Fund’s ethics program continues to become more robust each year by developing and updating policies on key ethics issues. These issues have included the new financial disclosure framework; implementing mandatory training for overseas staff and specialized training for Departments to help educate and empower staff to deal with harassment and other workplace fairness issues; engaging in on-going awareness campaigns to promote the Fund’s Core Values, the Integrity Hotline and other ethics initiatives; and vigorously investigating allegations of misconduct with appropriate regard for due process. While these basic building blocks are necessary to secure a solid ethics foundation, by themselves they are not enough to guarantee the integrity of an organization. When confronted with perceived misconduct it is incumbent on the individual staff member to take action in some way so that the wrongful activity is addressed, and it is incumbent on the organization to hold the wrongdoer accountable through appropriate disciplinary action.
The Fund’s excellent reputation confirms that its Core Values are more than just words. The Ethics Office looks forward in 2014 to working with you to further enrich the Fund and our daily lives by making the principles of Integrity, Respect, Impartiality and Honesty our constant guideposts.
