Many of the decisions supervisors and HRD professionals make have ethical dimensions. Resolving the paradoxes inherent in ethical dilemmas is no easy task, but must be addressed. Assigning participants to groups, reporting results, and conducting an evaluation study all raise ethical questions. Wherever possible, steps should be taken to ensure the confidentiality of information collected during an evaluation study.

Using code numbers rather than names, reporting group rather than individual results, using encrypted computer files, and securing research materials are all ways to maintain confidentiality. In many research settings, evaluation studies are monitored by a review board to ensure that participants know the study’s purpose, what they will be expected to do, and the potential risks and benefits of participating. In addition, participants are asked to sign a form stating that they have been informed of these facts and agree to participate in the study. This is called obtaining the participants’ informed consent.

Research designs involving control groups require that some employees receive training while others do not. This apparent partiality can be problematic if the training is believed to improve some employees’ performance, which could lead to organizational benefits like raises or promotions. HRD professionals may feel pressure to make certain that the results of an evaluation demonstrate that the program was effective. This may be one reason why rigorous evaluation of HRD programs is not done more often. If the evaluation shows the program was not effective, the HRD department may lose funding and support.