A Selected Review of the Underpinnings of Ethics for Human Performance Technology Professionals - Part One: Key Ethical Theories and Research

Abstract

Professionals serving as internal and external consultants, whether as performance technologists, human resource development facilitators, training specialists, organizational development change agents, or quality improvement engineers, are uniquely positioned to influence ethical awareness in the workplace. Understanding the basic underpinnings of ethical theory and empirical research in ethics will give professionals a grounding in the ethical implications of their interventions as they practice their craft. This is especially true for the practice of Human Performance Technology. This article is a review of the basic ethical theory and relevant empirical research. Further, the article serves as a reveille for HPT professionals. They know the systems and strategies of HPT. By examining these in the context of ethics, they may broaden their “vantage points” (Dean 1992b) on these systems and strategies so they can see more precisely how ethical issues influence performance and how what they do can influences the ethical climate of an organization.