It is now time to review a case study that focuses on ethical behavior.
Access the Open APM’s ethics case study resource provided below to read a scenario concerning ethics in projects.
Can you pinpoint a few instances of professional conduct highlighted in this scenario? Reflect on the skills employed to integrate ethical considerations into the decisions made by the individuals involved. Can you recognize them?
Share your responses in the discussion section below.
After posting your comment, proceed to the next step, where you will find some potential answers provided by APM for these questions.
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Aminah Yusuff
Team 2 Cohort 16
In this case study, the Team members portray lack of communication and collaboration. Williams assume he knows Johns interest without properly communicating the ideas to him. Karen on the other end focus less on the project interest. But towards the end, Karen did a good job by sharing her ideas with John and they collaborated on mapping the problems that might arise in the course of execution
My name is Victor Adebayo Kolawole, Team 6.
The issue with the 3 representative of XYZ, is lack of effective communication, conflict of opinion and teamwork.
Skills used.
1. Discussing with other colleagues.
2. Online research.
3. Partnering with firms.
The skills employed was proven effective and efficient.
My name is Victor Adebayo Kolawole, Team 6.
The issue
Reflection Acting Ethically by Modupe Esther Team 9
1)Lack of communication, lack of integrity, and no collaboration are identified as the professional conduct in the scenario.
2) skills observed were Research and mapping strategy.
Williams lacked integrity, collaboration, and communication because he felt he had been overseas and familiar with the people hence he failed to do detailed research but relied solely on what was given to him to write his report .
Karen was initially scared to voice her concerns because she put her interest first until John asked her and they were able to collaborate by carrying out detailed research by contacting a bigger firm and were finally able to Map out the strategy for the project considering all the risks involved.
One of the main issue in this scenario was communication. William’s didn’t communicate with John on what was being done and to get John’s idea in order to be on the same view for the project, he felt John only needed a ready result without research.
There is also the issue of lack of collaboration. William didn’t collaborate with John to get his own view on the project.
The skills that would helped here include communication, collaboration and attention for details between Williams, Karen and John. communication style must have worked to get John to be open to collaboration with her. The key part of ethics was the organizational values and moral principles in carrying out various activities in the company.
In the case scenario, there was lack of communication amongst the team and collaboration.
In this scenario, there is the issue of communication. William’s approach was more of assumption rather than communicating with John of what was being done and to get John’s input so as to be on the same page for the project, he assumed John only needed a ready result without research as to how it was gotten and the overall effect on the project.
There is also the issue of lack of collaboration. William had carried out what he assumed will be all what John will need without John’s input.
The skills that helped here include communication, collaboration and eye for details between Karen, John and other colleagues that Karen consulted. Karen’s communication style must have worked to get John to be open to collaboration with her, and also to see the ‘near perfect’ report from William. The key part of ethics was the organizational values and moral principles. The XYZ has a niche they are known for; they had to be thorough with the report given by William for a successful project and to maintain their reputation. Hence, the need for them to do their own research.
Wale Oyegunle
Team 8 Cohort 16
The team exhibited a lack of effective communication and collaboration. John is a stick-to-protocol guy who likes to do things by the book and by himself, so there is no collaborative effort from him. William, on the other hand, will rather have other people do the work for him while he does the reporting, which is not necessarily a bad thing but he could have communicated this thoroughly to John instead of him wasting his time sightseeing, that he was not even interested in. Karen was scared to give her input even though she knew it was going to help the project’s goals; communication problems again. Thankfully, she summoned courage to talk to John and the problems were identified in the conception stage. If this had gone on without proper risk analysis, the project would have ended up delayed, overrun, or, at worst, terminated. Therefore, communication and collaboration are very important.
My name is Ifenyinwa Prisca Egbuchere/team 4
The project team exhibited deficiencies in communication and collaboration skills.
John is diligent in adhering to due processes, conducting research and surveys, and working with the locals; however, he lacks an effective communication and reporting plan. On the other hand, William prefers shortcut methods to achieve results and also demonstrates poor communication and collaboration abilities. Karen, a new team member, initially hesitated to voice her concerns for fear of appearing critical of her senior colleagues. However, after discussing with John, they collaborated effectively to mitigate potential issues during the project. This experience highlights the need for improved communication channels and collaborative efforts within the team.
My Name is Joseph Ikechukwu Onyeocha:
In this scenario, some ethical principles were not followed:
The main issue was lack of proper communication, as John was not informed in advance that his task had already been completed by someone else.
Williams criticized John for not having a good knowledge of the ethical rules and regulations of the company, which he claimed was the reason behind his actions against John.
Karen displayed an unethical behaviour that was not in line with the ethics of the company. She was initially concerned about John’s feelings, but the next day she defied company ethics by asking employees to work extra hours, weekends, and also asked the employees to work against their work convenient times to complete the project.