As the head of a department in a large financial institution you have a strong relationship with a small boutique strategy agency (Agency X), who you have worked with for a number of years. You’ve always been happy with the quality of work and the consultants are experts in their field. 
Following a recent case of wrongdoing within your department that made media headlines, one of the consultants you have previously worked with at Agency X has reached out to you and suggested she can independently provide support to both review and repair the damage done to the culture of your department.
If you were to work directly with the consultant, the fees would be significantly less than going through the agency. Transparency is one of your organisational values and it’s clear this working arrangement would bypass Agency X. Both your personal and organisational values are being tested.
There are no current employment contracts in place with Agency X.
What would you do?
- What ethical considerations would you give to your decision-making?
We encourage you to post your answers in the comments so we can create a healthy discussion, with the aim of learning from our peers, becoming aware of differing perspectives and challenging our own biases.
If you would like to submit an ethical dilemma to feature in an upcoming weekly challenge please email: dilemma@bfso.org.
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