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 of my organization are Integrity and Honesty. These two values are one of the basic key points in driving my skills to excelling and improving on my job. However, these two values can also be an influence for any project I decide to embark on.
They are very important just as communication is to every aspect of a project. Having both core values would help improve all the skills needed as a project manager. This also helps bring about Respect and Quality Communication within the team members and there would be full confidence coming from the team- Because, as a project manager, displaying your integrity and honesty would make every team member have total confidence that you are going to deliver properly and adequately. Also, this helps to remove all doubts and everyone are able to build a strong team facilitating transparency from every team members.
ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES AND HOW THEY DRIVE DECISION MAKING IN PROJECTS.
I will be sharing experience as a realtor with a reputable real estate company.This real estate company addressed all realtors as STAKEHOLDERS. The name stakeholder used for the realtors is gotten from the company core values, which are 4Ps:
Pro activity
Productivity
Purity
Partnership.
The real estate company is in the business of selling lands and houses. Before taking decision to by land in any location they will ensure purity in their dealings with the land owners throughout the transaction.
Ensure that the land location is good enough for realtors to produce sales which is productivity.
They also have trainings for the realtors on weekly basis because they belief that realtors are stakeholders and are also partners in business. During this business meetings communications are based on products knowledge, sales and marketing and knowledge on lands matters and land documentations
Pro activeness is embedded in all the staff, especially the customer service department in attending to clients inquiries and queries. customer satisfaction is key.
Here are few values that I have shared alongside with others while working in some organizations
1. Respect for individual: Recognizing the individuality of team members in an organization or in any work environment is very key as often said that “nobody is an island of knowledge”, and as such there’s room to learn from what others can contribute to a project or task
2. Passion: This is a natural drive that motivates a man even when everything else is otherwise and I have always done my work with passion borne out my interest and willing ness to make things happen
3. Ownership: Taking responsibility for what happens in my unit or team has been my personal style while leading people over the years and it’s one of the qualities of a good leader. It is not enough to play the blame game against others, especially when things turns out negative and wants to take the praise if otherwise
4.Trust: I believe this value is such that is quite situational and earned over time based on the perception of others of you. I believe this is one values that have “made” some organizations and conversely, “mar” some others, as a result of the people that made it up
5.Innovation: Doing things in different ways have always proven to be a success-point for many and usually it’s always going to play out especially when managing project with people. Sometimes, ability to innovate is what makes an organization stand out from others and build a trade mark.
Values and moral principles guide the actions of individuals in organisational contexts
As an healthcare service provider in delivery goods, our value is Prompt response , Efficiency and customer satisfaction.
We make sure that our clients are satisfied with our quality of service and the rate we respond to their challenges
As an organisation that prioritize clients satisfactory results, customer service is essential in building strong relationship with customers which can lead to increased clients loyalty and business success, taking a proactive approach to identifying and resolving customer issues, communicating effectively, and providing timely and efficient service.
Commitment – as an organisation the way we portray ourselves even as individual matters a lot, this mean being reliable, meeting up with deadlines and consistently able to deliver results.
Teamwork – collaborating with others to achieve a common goal, sharing resources to achieve success.
Accountability – dependable and answering for one’s action and decisions.
In my immediate past role and employment, the following are the values that dictate how everyone behaves in the organization:
Excellence- that good is not enough, and that we always ensure to deliver products and services of exceptional quality. This also instills the motivation to constantly improve and innovate.
Integrity- to always deliver what is promised.
Accountability- to take responsibility for our actions, decisions, products, and strategies.
Respect- to always conduct ourselves in a way that values the individual needs and contributions of all stakeholders, both internally and externally.
At the Universal Learning Solutions Initiative where I worked, the values of innovation, quality and nonprofit serve as a guiding principle for all staff members in ensuring that all jobs are well done even if resources are limited with no expectation of benefits or personal interests.
I remember years ago a cousin of mine actually stood up for me and staked her life to defend me. I wasn’t even there but when I heard the story I felt truly glad. But that made me decide over again to be someone who can be trusted. Someone who’s words can be trusted. Someone of who can tell her team to stand and they do because overtime she has track records of integrity. I often tell those who are privileged to connect with me; hey be you!
Thanks.
Integrity, Excellence, Leadership, Trust and innovation are part of the values of a project manager. If Project manager has all this value it’s will promote him at the field