Abstract
M.Comm.
As part of the health care professions in South Africa, and as a profession in its own right, the importance of ethics and the management thereof for the profession of industrial psychology cannot be understated. Professional associations such as the Society for Industrial and Organisational Psychology of South Africa and the Psychological Society of South Africa may contribute to managing ethics in the profession. However, the Professional Board for Psychology (The Board) is the only regulatory stakeholder officially mandated to handle this task. Whilst the ethics management function of The Board is clearly stipulated in documents, limited research has been conducted pertaining to how The Board manages ethics in practice. An explorative study was therefore undertaken to investigate The Regulatory Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Ethics Management in the Profession of Industrial Psychology in South Africa. Such a study was deemed important since perceptions may influence how things occur in reality. By exploring the views of the members’ of The Board it was found that The Board’s ethics management functions are similar to that which has been outlined in documents. However, based on certain contradictory perceptions, additional strategies that may enhance the way in which The Board manages ethics in the profession were also identified. Ultimately this may lead to an enhancement of the way ethics is governed in the profession of industrial psychology.