CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Conflict of interest
• A conflict of interest describes a situation where someone within an organization has
opposing loyalties.
• A conflict of interest occurs when a person's involvement within an organization includes
multiple interests. Interests could be financial or having a family member working within
the business. These interests could influence the person's decisions in favor of their own
gain or giving preferential treatment.
Conflict of interest
Identifying potential conflicts of interest:
 Will I gain financially in addition to my salary?
 Do I have any personal relationships with colleagues or suppliers?
 Am I doing an identical role for a competitor?
 Should I disclose any of my concerns?
Conflict of interest
1. Disclose
Disclose the potential conflict of interest to the
authority/ organization. This is the first step and
although it does not remedy the problem, it is an
important step in maintaining ethical behavior.
2. Distance
If a authority/ manager has suggested that the
individual who has disclosed a potential conflict
of interest does not have direct input with the
issue (e.g. a contract with a supplier), the
individual should distance themself from the
associated issue (e.g. dealing with the contract).
3. Delegate
If the professional cannot distance themself from
the deal then they should delegate any tasks to a
colleague who has no conflicts of interest with
the party involved (e.g. a supplier who has
participated for the contract).
4. Disassociate
If the issue (e.g. the contract under
consideration) is critical to the organization and
the conflict of interest is certain, the professional
should disassociate themself from the issue to
ensure complete objectivity in the working
process (e.g. the contract award process to the
supplier)
The 4D model for addressing Potential Conflict of Interest
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