Dear In Practice,

I’ve been an organizational ombuds for several years and demonstrating fidelity to the code of ethics is important to me. I am especially conscious of my duty to convey a sense of fairness and impartiality in the way I enact the role. At the same time, I have strong opinions and preferences about local and national political issues, and I care very much about upcoming elections. I believe I also have a duty to be civically engaged.

By, Ellen Miller
Executive Director - IOA

Following up from my posts regarding AI for Ombuds Messaging and Using AI to Help Explain the Role, below is a sample briefing memo for general counsel written in a tone that appreciates the legal risk framing of the audience. I have also included some additional comparisons that may be helpful in understanding the role as it relates to the legal function and those tasked with risk management and mitigation. As we previously noted, the majority of this work has been generated by an AI tool in response to specific queries, clarifications and corrections. It has been reviewed for accuracy and also slightly edited, but the majority is AI generated.  

Sample Briefing Memo 

Subject: Governance Design and Legal Risk Considerations for the Organizational Ombuds Function

By, Ellen Miller
Executive Director - IOA

As we shared in our previous post, Using AI to Help Explain the Role, AI can be a wonderful resource for ombuds when used appropriately for our work. In this series, I asked an AI tool to help us frame some talking points and was surprised at the precision of its response. When engaging with AI, you need to ask specific queries, specific follow up queries and also correct any information that is wrong with the responses so the platform learns. This response has been reviewed for accuracy and also slightly edited, but the majority of language is AI generated.  

Here is my initial prompt, How do we educate general counsel or HR directors who feel the role is duplicative or they do not like that it is confidential?  

Dear In Practice,

I spent the past year working with two members of a functional team who, with my assistance, have gone from being avowed enemies to collaborating colleagues. They landed in my office after their supervisor suggested the ombuds office as a resource for their escalating relational tensions.

AI can be a wonderful resource for ombuds when used properly and appropriately. Many find it to be a helpful editor or as a starting place when schedules are otherwise jammed, as long as no distinguishable or confidential information is uploaded in a query. To demonstrate this point, I asked an AI tool to help us articulate why ombuds are specifically unique in role and function compared to other functions.  Responses have been reviewed for accuracy and also slightly edited, but the majority of the language is AI generated. The exciting news is the extent the AI tool understands the role. 

Query 1: What makes an Organizational Ombuds unique from other organizational support like HR, or EAP: 

An Organizational Ombuds plays a very specific and distinct role inside an organization. While they may seem similar to HR or an EAP at first glance, their function, authority, and approach are fundamentally different. An Organizational Ombuds is an independent, neutral, confidential, and informal resource for employees (or members of an organization) to discuss concerns, conflicts, or ethical questions. They typically follow the standards of practice set by the International Ombuds Association, which emphasize Independence, Impartiality, Confidentiality and Informality. 

How an Organizational Ombuds Is Different from HR: 

Organizational Ombuds

Dear In Practice,

I have been on Facebook and LinkedIn for years. I’m new to Instagram and I’m having a great time curating my profile and feed. I appreciate how these platforms provide news, information, and easy connections - but participating in social media these days seems increasingly fraught.

By Tracey Brant COOP, PCC
Organizational Ombuds - Dartmouth College

She had been reassigned from a committee. That was the issue, at least on paper. But fifteen minutes into our conversation, I could feel something larger moving beneath her words.

The organizational impact seemed modest - someone else would step into her role and the committee’s work would continue. Yet her voice was sharp, her sentences quick. She kept returning to the same details, circling back to moments I thought we already explored. I clarified the issue. We talked through possible responses. Still, the conversation looped.

by Reese R(ai)mos
Director - University Ombuds Office, Virginia Tech

To understand where we’re heading, it helps to look back. Two decades ago, I read Ray Kurzweil’s The Singularity Is Near, where he predicted an exponential rise in technology that would culminate in artificial and human intelligence merging around 2045. Some called him unrealistic; others, like Bill Gates, praised his foresight. Whether you see him as a visionary or a dreamer, there’s no denying that AI is rapidly reshaping our world, and, for Ombuds, our profession.

Rather than debate the timing of the “singularity,” it’s more pressing to examine what AI is already doing to our practice. Across fields, technology is transforming how information is created, managed, and used. In July 2025, for example, a robot trained solely on surgical videos autonomously performed a major phase of a gallbladder removal at Johns Hopkins. That’s no longer science fiction, it’s our present.

As Ombuds, we often find ourselves supporting individuals and groups working in high-stakes, cross-functional, and/or interdisciplinary environments. These spaces can offer tremendous opportunities for innovation. These environments also frequently bring the interpersonal and structural challenges that lead people to our doors. Researchers, in particular, often work within complex collaborations that span departments, institutions, cultures, and differing funding expectations. When roles, expectations, or communication norms are unclear, relational strain can quickly appear. Today's complex research challenges demand effective teams, yet researchers rarely receive training in teamwork skills crucial for collaborative success. How to Succeed at Collaborative Research: A Practical Guide for Teams (L. Michelle Bennett, Howard Gadlin, and Sawsan Khuri (2025)) is a resource for us as Ombuds to help us understand and support those researchers that may come to our office.

Specifically, this book provides guidance that may help us support researchers with tools to build and sustain effective teams. Drawing on organizational psychology, team science and the authors’ own experience, it offers concrete practices for fostering collaborative innovation, managing diverse perspectives and achieving high-impact outcomes. The book is intended for researchers, administrators and facilitators seeking to build high-performing teams. with a special focus on enabling researchers to work effectively across different disciplines, organizations, and sectors to meet the evolving demands of complex research projects.

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This book spotlight is an effort of the Independent Voice to bring relevant resources to your attention. If you have resources that you feel our Ombuds colleagues will benefit from knowing, please send a message to [email protected] and we will look to share via this channel.

Dear In Practice,

I’m confused about what to do when visitors copy or blind copy me on emails without warning or explanation. I respect visitor self-determination, and I typically avoid intervening absent an explicit agreement with the visitor about why and how I would do so.

From IOA's Communications Committee,

Every October, Ombuds Day offers an opportunity to highlight the valuable role Ombuds play in organizations, communities, and institutions. Whether you’re an organizational ombuds, classical ombuds, or advocate for the profession, the day is a chance to spread awareness, educate the public, and showcase the positive impact of Ombuds.

The good news? You don’t need a big budget to make a big impact. Here are some low-cost and creative ways Ombuds can celebrate Ombuds Day and help others understand the role:

 

Dear In Practice,

In my role as ombuds, I regularly offer workshops on navigating conflict, effective communication, and related topics. I love working with groups and have also had occasion to facilitate listening sessions, restorative circles, and other group processes. I see these as important opportunities for capacity building and also as a way to more publicly add value within my organization. Sometimes these services are requested in response to ongoing climate concerns or after a challenging incident within a department. At times, attendance is required. I’ve drawn a line and declined to provide my organization with the names of those who attend these events, but the very fact that I’m working with what feels like a captive audience makes me uneasy. I felt similarly when I was in the academic sector and would sometimes be asked to join a faculty member’s class to lead a restorative intervention with students. Is it ethical for an ombuds to lead or facilitate processes where those in attendance are required to be there?

Celebrating a Year of In Practice

It’s been a year since In Practice published our first column. We are thrilled that what started as a conversation among colleagues has developed into a lively public forum discussing the ethical dilemmas we often face as ombuds. The interest in the discussion is clear as the column’s posts regularly receive the largest readership on The Independent Voice blog.

We were pleased to learn that the column’s contents are prompting important real-time conversations in ombuds program staff meetings, one-on-one mentoring sessions, graduate studies classrooms, and at ombuds-related forums. Engagement was our goal - and we hope for even more going forward.

Dear In Practice,

I have held a range of roles over the twenty years I’ve worked for my institution. Prior to my appointment as ombuds, I was a center director (supervising a small staff,) a student program liaison (supervising students working on undergraduate research projects,) and a faculty leadership development consultant (helping faculty navigate leadership and career progression concerns.) Since becoming an ombuds, I have been contacted by former students, faculty colleagues, and direct reports, asking me to serve as a reference. I feel awkward about all of the requests, although each has its own unique context: sometimes the requester is still affiliated with my institution, sometimes they are not; sometimes the opportunity being sought is internal and sometimes it’s external; sometimes the person asking is someone I’ve supervised and other times it’s someone I’ve come to know through other means. I’ve even had a request from a fellow ombuds, whom I’ve never worked with, to be a reference for an ombuds role they’ve applied for. While I feel flattered that my opinion of others seems to be valued, I don’t know where to draw the line. As an ombuds, are there circumstances under which me providing a reference is ethical and when do I “just say no?”

Dear In Practice,

As an ombuds, I am committed to being non-judgmental and accessible. I firmly believe these values are essential to my work. Still, there have been times when I’ve been faced with a situation where I felt continued services were no longer appropriate or productive. 

Dear In Practice,

I know that customer surveys are considered a best practice in most service sectors. Almost every interaction I have with a service professional (or even a website chatbot) will be followed by a survey about my satisfaction with the provider or my experience. Personally, I find these surveys annoying and seldom respond.

Ombuds Dilemma: Should I be a Brand Ambassador?

Dear In Practice,

In a recent virtual visitor meeting, I looked at my reflection and realized I was not only wearing a shirt embroidered with my organization’s logo but also drinking from one of our organization’s mugs. Thank goodness I had temporarily deactivated the virtual background that prominently features our organization’s logo and which all employees are now strongly encouraged to use.

We hope you have enjoyed the In Practice columns featured in the Independent Voice. If you have not had a chance to read through them all, we invite you to take the time and review the columns posted below. We also encourage further dialogue around these dilemmas and invite your thoughts and insights within the comment section of each posting.

• Ombuds Dilemma: When the Visitor is the Problem
• Ombuds Dilemma: Do Ombuds Provide “Emergency” Services?
• Ombuds Dilemma: Should I list my degree?
• Ombuds Dilemma: Should I stay or should I go?

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What’s Your Dilemma?

We recognize that you may have experienced dilemmas in your practice that would be helpful to discuss with your colleagues. In Practice readers are invited to submit their own practice-related dilemmas for possible future publication. Dilemma narratives of under 200 words can be submitted by email to: [email protected]. Please note that dilemma submissions may be edited for length and clarity and are published without attribution. Editors will select dilemmas for publication based on a variety of factors, including relevance across sectors, focus on practice, and the likelihood that the dilemma will engage readers in novel or nuanced analysis of ombuds practice.

Ombuds Dilemma: When the Visitor is the Problem

Over the past year, several visitors have expressed values or views that are absolutely repugnant to me. These visitors usually come in with a familiar organizational concern and then out comes hateful speech. They have come from across the organizational spectrum and include leaders who have significant power and authority.

Their disrespect towards others is expressed in various ways - crude innuendo about how a female colleague got a promotion; racist nicknames; contempt for the ideas, beliefs, or identities of co-workers; and even cruel remarks about a person’s disability.

Ombuds Dilemma: Do Ombuds Provide “Emergency” Services?

I’m a new ombuds and am surprised by how many visitors call my office in a state of distress, with situations they describe as “an emergency.” I feel an internal pressure in those moments to make space immediately on my calendar – space I really don’t have – and I sometimes find myself working into the evenings and on weekends to accommodate these unexpected demands, in addition to my other responsibilities. I no longer have time for many activities I enjoy and that support my health and well-being (like exercising) and calls outside of business hours are impacting my time with my family. I pursued this role because I find purpose in helping others but I’m starting to wonder where the line is between service and altruistic narcissism – I don’t want to cross it.

Emergency Calls as Opportunities