Law and Ethics in Coaching

Chapter 9

The Intersection of Culture and Ethics

Marilyn O’Hearne and Charles Hamrick

Objective

This chapter discusses how culture affects ethical and moral standards; this phenomenon, then, requires coaches to expand their personal approaches to coaching people of different cultures. We examine the interaction of cultural differences and ethics in coaching, and the effects of this interaction on coaching cross-culturally. We propose that no one ethic pervades all cultures, and that it is the coach’s responsibility to discern nonjudgmentally those situations, attitudes, and behaviors that reflect ethical dilemmas. We discuss frameworks for understanding cultural values, and how those values drive ethics, and we make distinctions between cultural and individual values in coaching. A key consideration is who will do how much adjusting (client/coach, host/visiting culture, etc.) when it comes to intercultural variances, including ethics.

Pre-Chapter Self-Assessment Test

Answer on a scale of one (1) to five (5), with one (1) being strongly disagree and five (5) being strongly agree:

1. I understand the customs and values of my own culture.

2. I understand the customs and values of at least one other culture, different from my own.

3. I feel comfortable with people of different backgrounds.

4. I enjoy learning about other cultures.

5. I demonstrate patience and understanding with people who do not speak my native language.

6. I apologize when I do or say something that offends someone ...