As we talked about before in this module, it’s important for project managers to work ethically. This means doing the right thing, not just following rules. There are written rules and laws, but there are also moral rules and values.
What are these moral rules and values? Let’s break it down with some explanations and examples.
Moral rules are like a list of dos and don’ts for how a person should behave. For instance, one moral rule is “don’t steal.”
Values are strong beliefs that guide how we act in different situations. They show what we think is good behavior. Values can be personal, but they can also be shared in groups like companies. When a bunch of people in the same group share these values, they shape how everyone acts in that group.
In companies, these shared values are super important. They make up the core of what the company’s culture is all about. These values are a small set of important beliefs that don’t change much, and they really influence how people act at work.
For example, The Open University (2019) has some values they believe in:
In our work, we stick to The Open University values of being inclusive, innovative, and responsive.
The value of being inclusive and innovative is a big part of what people do at The Open University. They use this value to make sure everyone can access knowledge through new and creative solutions.
Values and moral rules help everyone know how to behave in a group or at work. It’s good to think about them to understand how they affect the decisions we make when working on projects.
Think about the values your workplace or a group you’re in follows. Can you name some of these values? How do these values affect how you work on projects? Share your thoughts with other learners in the discussion below.
Some of the core values that we adopt either while working on a project or for the organisation are Intergrity, Accountabilty and Respect( mutual respect , respect for himan rights)
Integrity because there must be transparency at every phase of the project.
Accountabilty, ability to communicate progress, challenges that arise on the project and resloving them while carrying the team along.
The value of my organization includes, diligence, kindness and inclusivity.
As a project manager my core values are Integrity, hard work, honesty, accountability, team work, innovation and discipline. This servers a guide to my behavior as an individual and professional career which also impacts to a large extent my work in projects.
Values builds the confidence people have about an organization and it keeps them at high standard.
Values are moral ethics that help everyone to know how to behave or associate with people or groups at work.
As an entrepreneur my values are honesty , Transparency and integrity, this three as really helped me in running my business and as also saved me from getting misunderstood during business deals /when carrying out projects. I hold them at very high esteem.
Honesty as my professional value entails presenting clear information void of fraudulent representations of financial statements.
Integrity includes maintaining the core values of the profession and organization
Competency demands producing clear, correct, verifiable and reliable results for usage by the management, organization or stakeholders.
Prudence entails following the due process, being careful, economical and correct in any stage of financial report or presentation.
Reliability entails producing correct and verifiable results for usage by the organization or management.
My organization’s core values of honesty, hard work, discipline, and integrity can greatly influence my work in projects.
These values can guide my behavior and decision-making, ensuring that I act with integrity and honesty in all aspects of the project.
Hard work and discipline can help me stay focused on the project’s goals and objectives, ensuring that I meet deadlines and deliverables.
Integrity can ensure that I am transparent and accountable in my communication with stakeholders.
Overall, my organization’s core values can help me maintain a strong work ethic and build positive relationships with stakeholders, which can contribute to the success of a project.
As an entrepreneur, honesty, transparency and integrity has been my watch word and has played a vital role in the growth of my business so far. So an aspiring Project manager, it is important to keep moving with these values and morals.
values is an important part of an organization, because it helps to keep people in check .. values such as empathy is very important as a project manager, you could atleast show empathy towards a team member who is behind schedule, trying to find out the reasons for the delay and ways to make the load a bit more manageable.
Working in team as an organization is one a core value to achieve good result as a PM.
Working ethically is part of the set skills required by PM.
Value is the bedrock of evey organization’s culture and it is the fuel that keeps them distinctive and keep them going forward.
Knowing the do’s and don’t is part of the value.
Being honest in all that you do is still part of the values one should have.
Teamwork is a major value in organizational work. because it is only when the team works as one with all hands on deck to achieve a commo goal that success can be assured.
Honesty is another value that cannot be overlooked. you all will agree with me that when honesty is absent, then the chances of failure are just very obvious. So honesty must be a watch word for all members of the team.
Sense of responsibility is another value i think should be taken serious. all members of the team must know it that they are responsible for the success of failure of any project at hand.
Project Manager he/she is a statutory trained in discharges his duties from the inception of the project to the completion period and handover to the client.
As a project manager you most not compromised with the quality of works.
In my line of work, trust is a very important commodity to our business. When I communicate with my customers I try to show them that the company feels for them in whatever phase they are going through and I try to give a practical solution to the problem on the ground or promise to come back with one after communicating with my boss, this way I try to maintain the friendship bond with them