Introduction to Potential Conflicts of Interest and Conflicts of Commitment

What is a potential conflict of commitment (COC)? 

A potential conflict of commitment would encompass situations where external relationships or activities may, or may appear to, interfere or compete with your ability to perform your job or may compete, or may appear to compete, with the University’s mission.

An example of a potential conflict of commitment that could interfere with your ability to perform your job is…

You’ve recently become the volunteer treasurer for a local nonprofit organization whose work is unrelated to your assigned duties at the U-M.  To help you balance your various work/life commitments, you’d like to spend a couple of hours during your U-M work hours once or twice a month to balance the organization’s books. 

An example of a potential conflict of commitment that would place you in a position of competing with the University’s mission is…

You have a technical job at the University making prosthetics (artificial limbs) based on doctors’ prescriptions.  After developing some equipment, at home and on your own time, that would allow you to produce the limbs at a lower cost, you’d like to start a part-time business that offers the same services but at a lower price to some of the outside companies that currently order prosthetics from the University.    

These circumstances constitute a COC because your business would be competing directly with the University for customers.