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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Communication skills
Ability to learn from your team members
Troubleshooting
Leadership skills.
From the story,John, who was the project manager had great leadership skills because he didn’t even try to impose his idea on William or anything. He calmly handled the situation well following the advice of Karen who had just recently joined the company. His ability to get the situation under control without imposing and spoiling anything is truly commendable. He truly is an experienced Project Manager
Basically the Skills that were used to depict ethics includes:
1) Communication Skills
2) Leadership skills
3) Good planning techniques
The Scenario depicted here shows what lack of team work , and good communication could result to if not properly managed.
One issue that was present, was John being an experienced project manager, not been able to communicate effectively with his team members, there was no team cooperation or communication..
In my opinion, John felt since he was not in charge of the task, he could give in to whatsoever Williams brings to the table. Which to me is totally wrong.
As an experienced project manager , where ever you find yourself, your duty is to ensure you give it your all to see to the success of the task at hand as a team. So to me he failed in that regard.
Williams on the other hand is pictured as someone that feels with the right network and exposure, you really don’t need to do anything to solve a problem. He fails to understand the Beauty of a Process, the vast reality on its own in carrying out a task from the scratch to the end. This would have led to the reputation of XYZ firm being ridiculed and questioned .
Karen on the other hand was able to see the problem having a result without a process or a team effort. Nothing seems to be this perfect and she was able to raise questions on the authenticity of the results.
Even though she was hesitant in communicating her actual thoughts to John, we saw at the end she was able to get through to John. She valued her firm’s values and what they stand on , so even though it felt she approached John casually, she was able to make him see the need to follow through a task as a team so as to uphold the company’s moral principles and values.
The communication was top-notch. John really displays his skills as a good project manager by making sure that everyone is on board and is honest with their views about the report he got from the agency. Karen was not open initially due to fair which is not ethical.
Leadership
Effective communication
Collaboration
Setting goals
Time management
Adewole Oluwabukunmi Caleb
Cohort 17
Team 1
One of the issues of professional conduct observed is that John and Williams seem to maintain only work relationship with each having a little resentment one for another. However, this resentment did not becloud theirvsense of professional reasoning and attitude to their respective task.
Also, Karen at the initial point was not open or free to communicate with John on official matter. Withholding important information that can negatively impact an entire project and firm is dangerous and this attitude is completely opposed to the idea of team spirit in a project. Thankfully, this barrier was broken when John as an experienced Project manager quickly noticed the gap with Karen and upon opening communication channel with her, boom, the team was able to progress.
Reflecting on the case study, I have come to realise that people working as a team on a project may have individual flaws and may act differently, but the possession of right skills takes the attention away from individual differences to make a team work together to achieve common goals. Williams’ attitude to prioritize time management in handling given task and deliver as atvwhen due made the engagement progressed as planned despite. This is in addition to his knowledge of regulatory and local environment.
Also John’s ability to prioritize communication with team members was a deal breaker as his observation of and subsequent engagement with Karen paved the way for getting solutions to the identified risk by Karen.
Karen’s initial communication gap with team members could have prevented the progress made. This action would not only have affected her ability to achieve the skill of continued professional development at workplace, she wouldn’t have developed the confidence to build rapport through communications with her team and company. However, her ability to interact or negotiate with local researcher brought the needed help for the project to make progress.
Emmanuel Olusegun Omotere
Cohort 17
Team 4
Ethical Conducts mentioned were :
Effective communication
Articulate and clarity
Collaboration
Result Oriented
Determination
Leadership
Chinasa Anikeze
Cohort 17, Team3
The ethical conducts carried out in this case are communication, collaboration and team work
Some of the ethical conducts carried out in this scenario was
1.Communication2.2.Team work.2.
Karen on the other hand did a good job by communicating her criticisms professionally and that in turn led to to the smooth running of the project
William has to do better with collaborating as a team through ckmunication no matter how insignificant a step might feel ,this will keep the team up to date concerning all decisions
More tan 3 people are talking at the same time and have divergent views on how the project can be carried out.
this could lead to disagreement if there is no Project Manager on ground.
So few cases of professional conduct highlighted in the scenario are
Brainstorming
Communication
Collaboration
Honestly and
Integrity
It is without doubt that each member has curated individual approaches in carrying out their roles, but failed to see that teamwork makes the dream work. Let’s start with John.
John knows he is experienced on the job,in his excitement, he decided to engage in pleasure before business which made him lose valuable time, thereby giving Williams an upper hand to have carried out the task alone without having to give his own input.
Williams on the other hand felt it wasn’t necessary for them to do the “dirty work” so he got the data by outworking the locals by so doing breeching the Communication gap between him and the others(John and Karen) he lacked integrity, honestly, Communication and also isn’t a good team player.
Karen on the other hand knew the importance of communication,felt the lack of Collaboration and Honesty. Even though she was at 1st hesitant about relaying her thoughts to John which she feared might “spoil” their friendship, she put all that thoughts aside which is why she met John, gave her feedback which eventually lead to them coming together and getting a feasible idea about the project