Country Applications: Hollanda

The code of conduct for management consultants and management consultancies has been revised and tightened up, following a decision to that effect by the Council of Management Consultancies (ROA) and the Association of Organisation Experts and Management Consultants (Ooa). As a result the accountability of both the consultancies and the individual consultants for their performance will be stepped up. Not only the code of conduct but also the disciplinary rules linked thereto have been updated, ensuring that the process will be more easily accessible and less timeconsuming.

Twenty-two highly professional Dutch management consultancies employing over 4100 consultants are affiliated to the Council of Management Consultancies (ROA). The Ooa, the association of professional organisation experts and management consultants, has over 1600 members.

The revision of the code of conduct was approved unanimously in general meetings of the two organisations. Five general principles have been identified, which determine the conduct of the members and how they practise their profession: expertise and knowledge, reliability, carefulness, professional independence and loyalty to colleagues.

According to chairman Miel Otto of the Ooa, the revision was mainly necessitated by the fact that consultancy assignments are becoming increasingly comprehensive: “That resulted in various elements of the previous code of conduct being ambiguous and no longer adequate. The new code demarcates the boundaries within which consultancies and individual consultants should operate more sharply.” Provisions laid down include that consultancies must not recruit employees of clients, (may) work on the basis of a performance fee and take over the obligations to the client from each other in case of a bankruptcy. In line with tightening up the code of conduct, the ROA and the Ooa have also adapted their disciplinary rules. Executive committee member Rolf Sterk of the ROA: “In the unhoped-for event that clients are not satisfied and have genuine complaints, they should be able to communicate them quickly and easily and not have the idea that they are starting a marathon process. The procedure for dealing with complaints has been cut down substantially and provides clarity more quickly.”

Kaynak : ICMCI Meridian 2008, Q1