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 an Operation Manager in a stock broking firm here are some values and morals I ensure you to follow
1) Honesty and accountability: these are highly important because you are involved with people funds (portfolio)and management of company portfolio
2) modesty and appearance: people won’t trust the representative of a firm that is not modest
3)team work
4) Good time management
As an interior designer, here are a list of values I ensure to follow in my line of work to ensure that my projects are successful.
Creativity: Emphasizing originality and innovative thinking in design solutions. Which must suit the desire of my clients and stakeholders
Collaboration: Valuing teamwork and effective communication with clients, colleagues, and other professionals involved in the project. Especially artisans.
Client Satisfaction: Prioritizing the needs and preferences of clients to ensure their satisfaction with the final design. This I don’t underestimate.
Attention to Detail: Paying close attention to every aspect of the design process, including materials, finishes, and spatial arrangement. Shows that I understand the project goals
Sustainability: Promoting environmentally friendly and sustainable design practices.
Functionality: Designing spaces that are practical and functional, meeting the specific requirements of the client and users. A design is useless when it is not functional to the end user.
Quality: Striving for high-quality craftsmanship and materials in all aspects of the design. It is unprofessional for me to be called back to sure after project has been delivered as a result of problems arising from use of inferior and intangible materials used. So in determining great quality, safety must not be jorpardized.
Integrity: Conducting business with honesty, transparency, and ethical practices.
Continuous Learning: Keeping up with the latest trends, technologies, and design principles through ongoing professional development.
These values affect I work on projects by guiding my decision-making process, shaping my design approach, and establishing a framework for my interactions with clients and team members. They help me stay focused on delivering exceptional design solutions that meet the needs and aspirations of my clients while adhering to ethical and sustainable practices
As an Educator… The organizational values include dressing modestly, communicating effectively, empathy, Honesty, Accountability, etc. All these values are what make teaching and learning effective because we’re like models to the children so to imbibe good morals into them, we should be of good behavior also.
Same way project managers, need to communicate effectively with their team and stakeholders, you need empathy because in some situations where the project is delayed by a few persons, you need to put yourself in the person’s shoes before judging. Project managers should be accountable for trust and transparency’s sake.
Some of the core values of the organization I work for are as follows Everyone counts, Compassion, Commitment to quality, and Respect and dignity. As a Project manager, you must not leave anyone behind as every team member has a part to play in ensuring a successful project. a project manager should also be compassionate as this will enable him to know the pain or distress that members of his team are experiencing.
Commitment to quality is very important because PM should insist on getting the basis of the project right which includes, safety, integrity, and accountability as this will enable him/her to earn the trust of clients.
The organisational values of the group I belong to are: responsibility, accountability, collaboration, and time consciousness. I believe as a project manager, you have to be responsible for any changes that comes up in your project. And likewise, in your decision making, your team shouldn’t be left out. You should be able to rub minds with your team members, that’s where collaboration comes in.
Also, you must always keep to time so as to have a successful project.
In our projects, we believe in three important things: working together, collaborating, and being on time.
When we work as a team, we bring in different ideas and viewpoints, making our projects better. Collaboration means we use everyone’s skills to get the job done well. Being on time is crucial because it keeps our projects running smoothly and ensures our plans are put into action without any hitches.
Working together and collaborating helps us solve problems and make our projects more efficient. When we stick to our timelines, we’re accountable and keep everything in order, making sure decisions are made at the right moment. It’s this teamwork, collaboration, and punctuality that make our projects successful.
The important values in organization i work with are teamwork/collaboration:- we works hard to be successful and makes efforts to ensure others are equally successful. The wins from having this value are as a group.
Passion: Expressing excitement for the work being done and shared objectives.
Trust: Nurturing positive relationships at all levels of the organization.
Creativity: Finding new ways of thinking, learning, and doing
Working ethically ensures operating within acceptable laid down rules, regulations, values and cultures. Like organizations, projects do have values, rules, regulations and cultures while being implemented. Organizations do have values like improving children’s wellbeing and protection against exploitations, labor, sexual exploitation and dropping out of school. Some rules may include the “principle of do no harm”, “prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse”, and “data management and confidentiality”. These values and rules serve as code of conduct of engagement within organizations and external stakeholders.
I belong to ALX group ( African Leaders Learners….) and our value sets are summarized in C-H-A-I-R.
C-Courage
H-Humility
A-Adventurous
I-Innovative
R-Resilience.
Our Principle is “We do hard things”. We have the mentality that we can do all things no matter how hard it seems and we employ the quality of GRIT in every aspect of our work. Grit means persevering in long and difficult task until you succeed.
Core values in our organization that drives success include: team spirit (together everyone achieves more), flexibility, time management and innovation. Above all, we have at the leadership cadre: servant leadership to carry along every worker in the system.
Other core values in the organization I belong to; keeping to time:is an important rules that gorverns our organization once a particular time is set for a certain meeting or engagement then everyone is expected to be there at that time.
Collaboration: Coming together to make a certain project workout well, doing things together is also important in our organization.
This are values that have been set and everyone is expected to abide by it