Ethics of South African Trainers - diagnosis and application of best practice principles, processes

1. ETHICS OF SOUTH AFRICAN
TRAINERS
www.saptaonline.org
CHARLES COTTER Ph.D candidate, MBA, B.A (Hons), B.A
KYALAMI ESTATES
10 JUNE 2017
www.slideshare.net/CharlesCotter

2. WORKSHOP OVERVIEW
• Characteristics of a Profession
• Definition of ethics
• Diagnosis: The ethics barometer of S.A trainers
• Identifying the characteristics of ethical trainers
 ETHICAL and MVP trainers
• Types of trainers and relating ethics to these types
• Trainer maturity
• Applying ethics as a trainer
 The four (4) responsibilities of a L&D professional
• Overview of the SAPTA Code of Ethics

3. DEFINING A PROFESSIONAL
“You don’t just become a professional just by calling
yourself one. You have to behave like one - a trusted
consultant, not an order taker.”
(Clive Shepherd, 2016)

4. 8 CHARACTERISTICS OF A PROFESSION
• #1: Specialized knowledge, skills and training
• #2: Accreditation of competence and association/membership to
regulatory body
• #3: Provision of essential/value-adding service
• #4: Universally accepted body of knowledge
• #5: Maintains highest levels of work quality and performance standards
• #6: Continuous professional development (CPD)
• #7: Sense of duty (servanthood)
• #8: Code of Conduct/Ethics

5. DEFINITION OF ETHICS
• Ethics is a branch of philosophy which seeks to address issues
related to concepts of right and wrong. It is sometimes
referred to as moral philosophy, including applied ethics e.g.
business ethics
• Moral principles or values that govern and regulate a
person's behaviour or the conducting of an activity.

6. MISSION #1: ELEVATE TRAINING TO A FULLY-FLEDGED,
LEGITIMATE AND REPUTABLE PROFESSION

7. DIAGNOSIS: ETHICAL BAROMETER
SCORE OF S.A TRAINERS

8. DIAGNOSIS: ETHICAL BAROMETER SCORE OF
S.A TRAINERS (LEARNING ACTIVITY)
• From your experience, observation and various business engagements,
rate and jot down the general average (%) of the ethics of S.A trainers.
• https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5B7XLPD
• From your experience, observation and various business engagements,
rate and jot down the general average (%) of the ethics of the S.A training
industry.
• How does the ethical average of S.A trainers compare with other
professions e.g. legal, medical, engineering, accounting and IT etc.
• Identify and jot down the top 6 behaviour, conduct, practices and/or
decisions where S.A trainers tend to be most unethical (ethical gaps).

9. DIAGNOSIS: ETHICAL BAROMETER SCORE
OF S.A TRAINERS
• https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5B7XLPD
• SAPTA mini survey: N= 39
• 360% assessment
• x20 Questions
• Range – 39% to 85%
• Average: 57%

10. AVERAGE SCORE – 57% (NO. OF
RESPONDENTS)
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
0-10% 11-20% 21-30% 31-40% 41-50% 51-60% 61-70% 71-80% 81-90% 91-100%

11. TOP 6 MOST UNETHICAL PRACTICES BY S.A
TRAINERS (ETHICAL GAPS)
• #1: S.A trainers sometimes discredit the training profession by associating with
unscrupulous business owners – 47%
• #2: S.A trainers sometimes violate copyright and intellectual property rules and
are guilty of plagiarism – 48%
• #3: S.A trainers are sometimes guilty of misconduct – 51%
• #4: S.A trainers avoid accepting accountability for their actions – 51%
• #5: S.A trainers sometimes violate the organizational code of conduct – 52%
• #6: S.A trainers' actions do not comply with regulatory standards and training
legislation – 53%

12. #1: S.A trainers sometimes discredit the training profession
by associating with unscrupulous business owners

13. #2: S.A trainers sometimes violate copyright and intellectual
property rules and are guilty of plagiarism

14. #3: S.A trainers are sometimes guilty of misconduct

15. #4: S.A trainers avoid accepting accountability for their
actions

16. MISSION #2: CREATE A CULTURE OF
E-T-H-I-C-A-L S.A TRAINERS
• Exemplary
• Transparency
• Honesty
• Integrity
• Consistency
• Accountability
• Legitimacy

17. MISSION #2: CREATE A CULTURE OF
M-V-P S.A TRAINERS
• Morals
• Values
• Principles

18. MISSION #2: ALL H-A-I-L THE S.A
TRAINER

19. TYPES OF TRAINERS

20. EVALUATION OF ETHICS OF THE 4 DIFFERENT TYPES
OF TRAINERS (LEARNING ACTIVITY)
• Critically evaluate the 4 different types of trainers
in terms of their ethics.
• Propose strategies to develop a culture of ethics
amongst S.A trainers.

21. TRIPLE H – DEVELOPING TRAINER
MATURITY

22. MISSION #3: DISRUPT & TRANSFORM THE S.A TRAINING
INDUSTRY BY OPTIMIZING THE NUMBER OF ETHICAL , HIGH
MATURITY & PROFESSIONAL (Q4) S.A TRAINERS

23. THE FOUR (4) RESPONSIBILITIES OF A L&D
PROFESSIONAL
• According to Clive Shepherd (2016):
#1: Responsibility to the client.
#2: Responsibility to the learners.
#3: Responsibility to my fellow professionals (peers).
#4: Responsibility to myself.

24. #1: RESPONSIBILITY TO THE CLIENT
• Helping the clients to achieve their goals for
employee performance.
• Doing the best for the client will often mean
suggesting a solution other than the one
requested.
• Sometimes it will mean recommending something
other than a learning intervention.

25. #2: RESPONSIBILITY TO THE LEARNERS

26. #2: RESPONSIBILITY TO THE LEARNERS
• The feature challenges those describing themselves
‘professional’ to ask: ‘to what extent are you meeting the
responsibility to your learners?’
• As a learning professional, I want these learners to be
inspired and grow in confidence.
• I want to help them achieve their own goals for personal
development.
• I want to do them no harm, by boring them, overwhelming
them, embarrassing them or peddling them untested
remedies.

27. #3: RESPONSIBILITY TO MY FELLOW
PROFESSIONALS (PEERS)

28. #3: RESPONSIBILITY TO MY FELLOW
PROFESSIONALS (PEERS)
• I have a responsibility to my fellow professionals to uphold
the ethics and standards of my profession.
• Commitment to do nothing that would damage our
collective credibility.
• I want to enhance the reputation of learning professionals as
trusted consultants and skilled practitioners.
• Reposition L&D professionals as people who can be relied on
to put the interests of their clients and their learners first.

29. #4: RESPONSIBILITY TO MYSELF
• To make sure I am fully up-to-date with current
best practice and evidence-based learning theory.
• That I am constantly reflecting upon and looking to
improve my skills.
• That I am conversant with the latest technologies
that could enhance learning in terms of its
effectiveness or efficiency.

30. MISSION #4: INSTIL A SENSE OF OWNERSHIP WHERE S.A TRAINERS
WILL EFFECTIVELY FULFILL THE 4 RESPONSIBILITIES OF A L&D
PROFESSIONAL

32. OVERVIEW OF THE SAPTA CODE OF ETHICS
www.saptaonline.org
Purpose of the Code
Scope of the Code
Chapter 1: Ethical Identity
Chapter 2: Core values and Guiding Principles
Chapter 3: Breach of the Code

33. Overview
• This Code of Ethics sets out the professional standards,
norms and values as well as the guiding principles expected
by the Southern Africa Professional Trainers Association
(SAPTA), as a condition of SAPTA membership.
Purpose
• The SAPTA Code of Ethics serves the purpose of promoting,
governing, supporting, regulating and sanctioning (if
applicable) members’ professional conduct, in the daily
practicing and exercising of their profession as an
occupational trainer.

34. CHAPTER 1: ETHICAL IDENTITY
• Building and enhancing the reputational status and credibility of training as
a bona fide profession
• Being the custodian of professional standards and practice within the
training industry, by upholding and maintaining professional principles,
competency standards and core values
• Capacitating, empowering and certifying associate members with
professional and industry-respected credentials
• Creating, supporting and building a network of training professionals,
based on a family-oriented SAPTA ethos
• The benefits and value of a Code of Ethics is that it directs and guides
training professionals to acknowledge acceptable standards of professional
practice and also to comply with these standards.

35. CHAPTER 2: CORE VALUES AND GUIDING
PRINCIPLES
• #1: Professionalism
• #2: Competence
• #3: Integrity
• #4: Family-oriented
• #5: Respect
• #6: Stewardship

36. STRUCTURE OF CHAPTER 2
• Refer to pages 3-12 of the Code of Ethics:
Definition (of each core value)
Motive (of each core value)
Guiding principles (that all SAPTA members need to
comply with)

37. CORE VALUE - #3: INTEGRITY

38. CORE VALUE - #3: INTEGRITY
• Training professionals should be committed to the following
exemplary ethical conduct and character:
Honesty
Truthfulness
Trustworthiness
Objectivity
Fairness (of judgment and decisions)
Consistency (of action and decisions)
Morality (principle-centred)
Transparency (and Accountability)
Dignity
Reliability

39. CORE VALUE - #6: STEWARDSHIP
• This oversight role will ensure that professional trainers
demonstrate an obligation to the following:
 Duty to the Profession
 Duty to Society
 Duty to the Client
 Duty to the Learner
 Duty to fellow Professionals
 Duty to the Professional Trainers Body of Competence (PTBOC)

40. "Diligently serve the S.A training industry
and the S.A training industry will
diligently serve you."
(Charles Cotter, 26 May 2017)

41. CHAPTER 3: BREACH OF THE CODE
• Any breach of the Code of Ethics will be considered under SAPTA’s
Disciplinary Procedure.
• SAPTA members should also ensure that they notify SAPTA of any
significant violation of this Code by another SAPTA member to
ensure that the necessary corrective/remedial action may be
taken.
• Guided by the SAPTA Disciplinary Code and Procedure, The SAPTA
Ethics Committee will decide on the following:
Whether a SAPTA member has indeed breached the SAPTA Code of
Ethics
The severity/gravity of non-compliance
The appropriate disciplinary sanction or remedial action

42. MISSION #5: FACILITATE BUY IN FOR, THE ADOPTION,
IMPLEMENTATION AND ENFORCEMENT OF THE SAPTA CODE
OF ETHICS

43. CONCLUSION
• Key points
• Summary
• Questions

44. MISSION I’M POSSIBLE 5
• MISSION #1: ELEVATE TRAINING TO A FULLY-FLEDGED, LEGITIMATE AND
REPUTABLE PROFESSION
• MISSION #2: CREATE A CULTURE OF
E-T-H-I-C-A-L, M-V-P AND/OR HAIL S.A TRAINERS
• MISSION #3: DISRUPT & TRANSFORM THE S.A TRAINING INDUSTRY BY
OPTIMIZING THE NUMBER OF ETHICAL, HIGH MATURITY & PROFESSIONAL
(Q4) S.A TRAINERS
• MISSION #4: INSTIL A SENSE OF OWNERSHIP WHERE S.A TRAINERS WILL
EFFECTIVELY FULFILL THE 4 RESPONSIBILITIES OF A L&D PROFESSIONAL
• MISSION #5: FACILITATE BUY IN FOR, THE ADOPTION, IMPLEMENTATION
AND ENFORCEMENT OF THE SAPTA CODE OF ETHICS

45. “AS LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT
PROFESSIONALS, LET'S LIBERATE THE
LEARNING LIKE TRUE REVOLUTIONARIES."
(Charles Cotter, 7 June 2017)

46. CONTACT DETAILS
• Charles Cotter
• (+27) 84 562 9446
• charlescot@polka.co.za
• LinkedIn
• Twitter: @Charles_Cotter
• http://www.slideshare.net/CharlesCotter