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.
© The Open University
Downloads

Issues with professional conduct include: poor communication, misinterpretation. They were able to solve the misconduct with the following skills: Effective communication, Teamwork and collaboration.
There are issues of poor communication, conflict of interest, lack of transparency amongst Mr. John and Mr. Williams.
The ethics was brought into place by these skills; collaboration and teamwork, critical thinking and effective communication.
These are issues of the professional conduct; misinterpretation, conflict of interest and poor communication.
The skills that were used to bring ethics in place are; effective communication, mapping, teamwork and collaboration
Issues of professional conduct:
1. Misinterpretation
2. Communication
3. Conflict of interest
Skills used to bring ethics into decisions.
1. Mapping:
2. Collaboration
3. Teamwork
Here are the issues of professional conduct and the skills used to bring ethics into decisions:
Issues of Professional Conduct:
1. Misrepresentation of Information: William’s claim that the engagement programme had already been carried out, when in fact it had not, raises concerns about honesty and transparency.
2. Lack of Transparency: William’s decision to use a pre-existing report without disclosing this to John, and Karen’s initial hesitation to speak up due to concerns about office dynamics, highlight issues with transparency and open communication.
3. Conflict of Interest: William’s close relationships with the opinion research firm and the potential for personal gain or favoritism raise concerns about conflicts of interest.
Skills Used to Bring Ethics into Decisions:
1. Critical Thinking: Karen’s skepticism about the report’s findings and her decision to investigate further demonstrates critical thinking and a commitment to ethical decision-making.
2. Effective Communication: Karen’s ability to articulate her concerns to John and her colleagues, and John’s willingness to listen and address these concerns, highlight the importance of effective communication in resolving ethical dilemmas.
3. Professional Courage: Karen’s decision to speak up despite concerns about office dynamics and her probation period demonstrate professional courage and a commitment to doing what is right, even in the face of adversity.
4. Collaboration and Teamwork: The eventual collaboration between Karen, John, and the global firm to address the issues with the report demonstrate the importance of teamwork and collaboration in resolving complex ethical dilemmas.
IGWE, RUTH. Team 5
Issues of Professional Conduct i identified.
1. Misrepresentation of information: William, the client agency representative, presented a report , which raised suspicions about the authenticity of the engagement program’s results.
2. Conflict of interest: John was initially hesitant to challenge the report, possibly due to his excitement about the contract and his loyalty to the client. Karen, on the other hand, was concerned about the report’s credibility and the potential impact on the project’s success.
Skills used to bring ethics into decisions used:
1. Critical thinking: Karen demonstrated critical thinking skills by questioning the report’s findings and considering alternative explanations.
2. Collaboration: Karen and John worked together to discuss their concerns and potential solutions. This collaboration helped to ensure that ethical considerations were taken into account.
In the third scenario, Karen showed great team work and communication skills to John in enusuring that the project was carried out effectively.
Karen wasn’t keen on criticizing John’s report she showed empathy unlike Williams.
Based on the case study, two issues that stand out in this scenario are:
**William lacked communication skills. He was not able to communicate or pass information about the project to John in a way that John could understand. There was frabrication of results by William , these action of his can disrupt the outcome of the project.
John almost lost his ability to deal with the issue.
Thankfully Karen intervention helped. That’s where ethics come in.
1) She portrayed professional courage
2) She communicated with John, in a respectful manner and also reminded him of the values of their organization. This help to keep John on track again
3) Both John and Karen worked together as a team and that way, they got a solution for the project. They also learnt to update their client by reporting their every move concerning the project.
Based on this case study,
there was lack of transparency on William’s: he did not carry his colleague John along with the engagement plan he made, this could lead to lack of trust for further projects.
There was also lack of proper communication to William on John’s part.
However, with critical thinking and looking beyond this project into the reputation of the firm, Karen was able to bring perspective to solving the problem at hand.
She communicated well with John without criticizing him and they were able to sort things out
Lack of transparency: Lack of transparency displayed by William by going behind to do things by himself.
Lack of integrity and display of personal interest: William displayed lack of integrity by trying to manipulate the date. He was more focused on personal gain rather than a successful project delivery.
Critical thinking and communication:
Through critical thinking Karen was able to identify the issue and could communicate it to John.
Collaboration: Through collaboration they were able to address the issue.