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.
As a Procurement Officer, the core value of my Organization includes
*Transparency
*Competitiveness
*Accountability
Core values are the principles guiding and often driving an organization‘s mission and goal.
*integrity
*humble
*honest
*innovation
*transparent
Evidence-Based Practice: Public health organizations like NCDC often emphasize the importance of using scientific evidence and data to inform decisions and strategies. This value ensures that projects are grounded in research and data analysis, leading to more effective and informed interventions.
Prevention and Early Detection: Many public health organizations prioritize prevention and early detection of diseases and health threats. In projects, this value would influence the design of interventions and strategies aimed at identifying and addressing health risks before they become widespread.
Collaboration and Partnerships: Collaboration with various stakeholders, including government agencies, healthcare providers, NGOs, and communities, is often a core value. In projects, this value would encourage collaboration with diverse partners to leverage resources and expertise for better outcomes.
Equity and Social Justice: Public health organizations often emphasize the importance of addressing health disparities and promoting equity in health outcomes. In projects, this value would influence efforts to ensure that vulnerable and underserved populations receive equitable access to healthcare and resources.
Transparency and Accountability: Public health organizations value transparency in decision-making and accountability for their actions. In projects, this value would lead to transparent reporting, monitoring, and evaluation processes to track progress and outcomes.
Adaptability and Resilience: Given the dynamic nature of public health challenges, adaptability and resilience are important values. These values encourage flexibility in project design and implementation to respond effectively to changing circumstances, such as emerging diseases or crises.
Ethical and Ethical Conduct: Ethical considerations, including privacy, consent, and ethical research practices, are integral to public health work. In projects, this value would guide ethical decision-making and adherence to ethical standards.
Continuous Learning and Improvement: A commitment to continuous learning and improvement is essential for addressing evolving public health issues. In projects, this value would encourage a culture of evaluation and learning to refine strategies over time.
These organizational values are critical for shaping the approach, priorities, and strategies of public health organizations in their projects. They ensure that public health initiatives are evidence-based, community-oriented, equitable, and responsive to emerging health threats and challenges.
The values that apply to an organization I belong to is honesty, diligence and delivery of quality services. These guides the way we work and approach our client. With these values in mind, they are our part of our organization’s culture.
One of my organization values is human resources management. My.organization see to it that all human resources are rightfully engaged and given reaponsibilities in their area of specialization. This thereby help in pro-activeness and productivity.
One core value of my organization is professionalism, this mean that as a staff i have the responsibility to be professional at all times and in the face of any situation. Professionalism is shown in my communication, dressing, attitude, time and resources management, even in taking responsibility. Professionalism is key to achieving our goal as an organization hence its engrained in all we do as representatives of the company.
As an administrative assistant, the core values and ethics includes:
Transparency
Teamwork
Time management
Honesty.
organizational values definitely play a significant role in shaping one’s approach to work and decision-making within a project. Presently as a Customer Service representative and a Caterer, I firmly believe in Customer-Centricity, Quality excellence ,Integrity and Team Collaboration. These are my core values as they are geared towards delivering unwavering and seamles customer experiences to my clients .
These values are not Just words on paper;they guude my deisions, actions and commitment to projects making them more in line with the organization’s overall mission and principles.
As an entrepreneur,timely delivery of customers orders is a core value.
Ethics value in my organization are:
Efficiency
Transparent
Integrity
Hardworking