Routines and the risk of ethical blindness in organizations - the reason why evaluation function needs independence.
In many organizations, phrases like "We have always done it that way" and "I know what I am doing" are quite common. However, if you are a monitoring and evaluation staff member, you may notice some unusual trends in results, or overhear something in meetings that makes you question the vertical and horizontal logic of the program. Depending on your findings, it could be the perfect time to pause, take stock, and reflect. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to convince people who are used to routines and strict adherence to standard operating procedures to think outside the box and out of their comfort zone. This is where ethical blindness can occur. Ethical blindness refers to a situation in which a person is unable to perceive ethical issues or moral dilemmas because of routines and strict adherence to standard operating procedures. In essence, it leads to inappropriate or unethical decisions when the individuals are not able to think beyond what they are used to