Terzet-Digitaal Congres-15-dhr. dr. R. van Es

TERZET 25 JAAR- DIGITAAL CONGRES 2018 2 “Ethical Decision-Making for Certified Experts ” Case: Vocational Rehabilitation in an Island Community Abstract In the Netherlands, a growing number of certified experts in counseling, communication, consultancy and controlling are using a specific three-stage model for ethical decision-making. The model is developed in interaction with these experts. This article describes the model’s theoretical background of process ethics and its conceptual framework of a combination of dialogue and debate in three stages. It also demonstrates how the model is applied in practice by analyzing a vocational rehabilitation case involving misconduct by both an employer and an employee. Various arguments to determine what latitude the counselor has for taking action are reviewed. His final position reveals a great deal about his willingness to take responsibility and his moral identity as a person and as an expert. Introduction Certified experts have special wishes concerning the right model for their ethical decision making. The ´twelve questions´ (Nash, 1981), the ´seven steps through a moral dilemma´ (Van Luijk, 1993), the ´seven step method´ (Davis, 2013), will not do. They are effective to bring about discussion, but are not sufficient for a professional to develop a well-balanced argumentation. Staying in close connection with the practical issue at hand, certified experts need a comprehensive and dynamic analytical framework. This article describes and demonstrates such a framework. First, the theoretical background of the developed three-stage model is described. The model is posited as a form of process ethics, in line with Habermas (1991), in which dialogue and debate serve to carefully deal with and analyze a moral issue. Next, the model’s three stages are explained. Rather than discussing each element of these stages separately, we demonstrate them in our analysis of a vocational experts case. In the evaluation, we review both the case analysis and the developed model. This is a Free Digital Publication: March 20, 2018. It is also an invitation to share your thoughts and experiences on the ethics of vocational rehabilitation. Certified experts The certified experts in question are specialists in their fields of counseling, communication, consultancy and controlling. They proudly stress their independent position and cherish their academic professional training. They find it important to distinguish themselves from non-certified experts. That is why they keep up their certification and maintain their standards of excellence through vocational associations, codes of conduct and learning obligations. Over a period of four years a series of one hour group interviews was held with vocational counselors (6x), management consultants (4x), communication experts (3x) and controllers (2x). Most of them already followed a beginners course in ethics. The basic question was: When does a model for ethical decision-making fits in with your professional practice? Involved in these group dialogues was a total of 200 certified experts, ranging from thirty-three to sixty-two years of age, 60% male (Van Es, 2014). The answer to the basic question can be summarized in five desirable characteristics, see Table 1.