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.
Here Some of the values in my workplace are as follows; We do what’s right always and we grow every day. Translating these values to a project I’m working on will require me to always do what is right irrespective of the situation at hand.
Doing what is right upholds integrity, which is related to personal and organizational values. Breaking it down i will say giving or receiving a bribe to get a task done is not acceptable.
Growing every day on the other hand in a project will mean in everything we do; we’re thinking of one thing – growth. We operate with speed and efficiency instead of focusing on perfection.
The core values upheld by my organization include honesty, trust, support, accountability,team work, devotion, , communication,patience,determination, modesty, intergrity, discipline, confidentiality, and love.
The values in my profession as a secretary includes communication skills, organisational, independence, planning skills, detail-oriented and commitment.
With these core values, Senior executives would say they can’t do without their secretaries because they indirectly run the office and every activity or project must pass through them before reaching the bosses or stakeholders.
In my organizational when core value that every must adhere to no matter his position is health & safety.
Because of that health & safety forms an integral part of the company’s policies.
The safety of every body that come in contacts with the organizational is management top most priority.
The values in my organization go by the acronym ‘EDICT’.
E = Expertise (having the required competence/skills to carry out job requirements)
D = Discipline (obeying rules/code of conduct of the organization)
I = Integrity (having strong moral principles)
C = Customer focus (ensuring their needs and expectations are met and surpassed)
T = Teamwork (working as a group to give efficient and effective results)
There are several values in my place of work but the most important are:
1. Creativity
2. Innovation
3. Research
4. Competence
5. Specialization
6. Knowledge
With above mentioned values, all the stakeholders work towards developing the human mind to be creative, innovative, research oriented, competent in areas of specialization, knowledgeable in entrepreneurship and dedicated to service.
Some of the core value for me in my organizations are listed below
1. Integrity
2. Accountability
3. Trust
4. Team work
5. Communication
6. Discipline
With these core values each and every personnel can put in their best with the given set skill they have to deliver the work scope to standard for our client through clear communication.
Knowing fully well that, it is important for project managers to work ethically, morals and values most be clearly understood by all stakeholders.
I work with a social group where we believe in inclusive, development and success for all members. The behavioral attitude of members usually determine the speed of work and complete adherence to our values gives the opportunity to all members to be empowered.
As a nurse, some of our core values are integrity, punctuality, teamwork, and modesty in our appearance.
These values help in actualizing comfort and trust as we do our jobs.
To rest peoples decisions after giving a well detailed information on there health. These acts helps your day to day duties done.
As a civil engineer one of our core values on site is communication through the channel,everyone is assigned to different duties,we communicate during each activities for professional purpose, having in mind that we are dedicated to the success of our client