In its latest issue, the peer-reviewed journal of the International Ombudsman Association takes up one of the central ethical standards for Organizational Ombuds: Informality.  Journal Editor David Miller explains,

In my experience as an Organizational Ombudsman, Informality is the hardest [Standard of Practice] to grasp operationally, unless it is explicated as a contrast with related professions, or in terms of our non-engagement with formal processes. But, of course, there is so much more to Informality than that. And that is why this Volume of the JIOA focuses on it.

Articles in the latest JIOA (Volume 5, No. 1) include:

• “The Discussion of Informality” by David Miller
• “Informality the Fourth Standard of Practice” by Mary Rowe
•  “The IOA Informality Standard as a Support for Creating a Just Culture in Health Care Organizations” by Laurie Miller Patterson
• “Informality for a Organizational Ombudsman in Japan” by Noriko Tada
•  “I Was Just Thinking: Musings on Ombudsman Informality from the Perspective of an Organizational Ombudsman” by Carolyn Noorbakhsh
•  “Some Thoughts on Informality” by Howard Gadlin
• “Clarifying the Ombuds Role (with a little help from our SOPs)” by Tom Sebok
• “Obituary: Remembering Dr. Yoshiko Takahashi” by David Freedman and Mary Rowe

The full issue is now available for download and from EBSCO publishing. (JIOA.)

Related Ombuds Blog posts: Journal of IOA Now Available Through EBSCO; Journal of IOA Highlights Bullying Issues; Journal of IOA Focuses on Fairness and Equity; Journal of IOA Explores Issues of Confidentiality.