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.
In organisations, values are the ‘bedrock of a company’s organizational culture….value guides an individual including d organization
I work in an NGO and our values are justice and freedom and also realizing that everyone is born equal
As a real estate consultant the core values in closing successful deals are transparency, integrity, communication and emotional intelligence,
As a Project Manager in the entertainment scope, honesty and hard work are ethics that you can’t do without. To build trust with your clients, you must be honest and ready to roll yp your sleeves and do the work.
Okay, my Church Bethel City Global run on her Core values SIDES; S-Spirituality, I- Innovation, D- Diligence, E- Excellence, S= Service. This is generally seen in our conduct and results.
So Values are essential for individuals as well as companies or firms that would leave a legacy. Thanks.
In my church, where I volunteer as the Team Lead of the Protocol/First Impression Team, some of our core values are Leadership Development and Excellent service.
In executing our duties as a team, we are not just excellence driven, we are prepared to lead at all times; this is achieved by further breaking the team into smaller teams and having Team Leads for those teams.
The Scope of ethics cannot be over emphasized at any point time. Integrity, loyalty Professionalism, reliability, adhering to guiding rules and principles are key factors in my nature of works. And as a project manager, these factors that ensures ones sustainability in the field and promote the integrity of works done and lives to be positively affected. It ensure proper focus and direction and keeps everyone in the proper perspective at all times
As a banker where i work our core value are: Service excellence, team work, intergrity and ethics, culture of continuous improvement. All this values are incorporated in our day to day running of our jobs. We have to align with the banks value in other to achieve set objective and goal.
Organizational values play a crucial role in shaping and influencing work within projects in several ways:
1.Guiding principles-organizational values serve as guiding principles that help project teams make decisions aligned with the company’s mission and ethics
2.Cultural alignment-values contribute to the organizational culture. When project teams align with these values, it fosters a positive work environment and collaboration.
3.Decision making-Values guide decision making at various levels. Project managers and team members can use them as a reference point when faced with choices or challenges.
As a project manager, it is important for to note and abide by the rules, value, and code of practice etc, of the organisation him/her is working with, by doing this it ensure that the project manager does not offend or carry out critical action that might damage he or her relationship with the organisation…
As a lecturer in the Higher Education sector, our core values include inclusivity, equity and equality. You have no basis or right to discriminate any student based on gender, colour, age, tribe, race and mental ability. You have to give every student equal rights and opportunities without prejudice.
As a lecturer in the Higher Education sector, our core values include inclusivity, equity and equality. You have no basis or right to discriminate any student based on gender, colour, age, tribe, race and mental ability. You have to give every student equal rights and opportnitunities without prejudice.
As a professional in the Engineering consulting sector, some of our core values lies on inclusiveness, adaptability, resilience, flexibility and ability to express/defend what the outcome of your personal/individual research/project outcome without doubts or lack of confidence.
For my company, our organizational values are empathy, growth, simplicity, collaboration and Excellence. They will influence my work as a PM in diverse projects in the sense that must communicate with a deep practice of empathy, treat every stakeholder with a mindset that speaks simplicity in communication, and collaborate for the common good. The value of excellence will make sure I turn up for each project delivery with a height of excellence.
One value in my organization is excellence. No matter the size of the project or the “importance”, as long as we are apart of it, we do our very best to make sure we do an excellent job. Our thought is, whatever we do will speak for us. and we have seen countless positive result from this value.