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.
Integrity, loyalty, Professionalism , reliability , effective service, technology adaptability among others are the some of the core values of public service where i function and it is to ensure our role in science and technology vis a vis security and space age presence. It is one the drive in ensuring our presence and relevance as country is developing ways and means of ensuring effective propulsion transport means in space travels.
The institution I work with always emphasizes the following core values:
Professionalism
Integrity
Honesty
Innovation
Entrepreneurial spirit
Customer-centrism
Of course, these are some of the ethical and core values a project manager needs to manage any project successfully.
One of our ethics in a group I belong is that everyone has to be aware before you make any decision.this slows down decision making process at times but you still have to carry everyone along
In every profession, it is expedient all the members of such body or organisation comply with the specified ethics if they must promote the organisation or if they must remain a good ambassador of an organisation or community.In my area of profession as a structural engineer , you are expected to understand and comply with the underlisted ethics:
i.Be morally upright
ii.Understand and keep to the laws of the body
iii.Keep to the rules and regulation
iv.Be dependable
v.Add values to the organisation
As a Business owner,good morals and personal values are key as we deal directly with customers in other to maintain and ensure good interpersonal relationship with our customers
My organisation values are inclusivity, innovative, accountability, transparency, respect. Keeping to these values helped me to grow in the organisation and improved my interpersonal relationships with others
In my organisation, these values are important; equity, commitment and transparency. Equity in the sense that everyone is treated with the same level of respect, and resources and opportunities are also made available irrespective of titles or positions. We are also committed to the cause of our work and aim to be open with one another as well as clients and stakeholders.
Keeping to organisation values makes it easy to achieve, even the on imaginable and its helps rate performance on credibility
One of the most important values of my work is for teachers or school workers to be good role models for children and young adults. Another one is to never leave any child behind.
These two core values have shaped the way I interact with adults too. I try to always be exemplary in my dealings and to show empathy to others at all times.
Good moral and core value personal will ensure good interpersonal relationship, this ensure good team performance. For example a tiler might not get good result if he those not have good moral and good interpersonal relationship on site with other workers or even as a team lead
In the organization I work with, our core values include:
1. Accountability- We believe in being accountable
2. Integrity- We also act with integrity
These are also some of the values needed as a project manager