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 in my organization includes humility, communication, striving for excellence, team work, honesty, time management, integrity and daring to be different.
With these, I’ll be able to put in my best and get a good result.
Some of the core values in my organizations includes humility, communication, striving for excellence, team work, honesty, time management, integrity and daring to be different.
With these, I’ll be able to put in my best and get a good result.
In an organization, the core values to be imbibed by project manager and team members are ,
Discipline, integrity, dignity of labour, tolerance, teamwork , communication, collaboration and time management which will help in producing a successful project/ results.
One distinctive value of the organization I am involved in is increasing women involvement or participation in tech because women are grossly underrepresented.
Every campaign is geared towards making tech courses available to women at no cost. There are bootcamps and fellowship to that effect and certificates are awarded at no extra cost on completion.
I have participated in the Bootcamp and I am currently a fellow in the Fellowship.
This has also shaped my dream to also make education available to women at no cost to encourage them to up-skill and better develop themselves, and not just settle in the kitchen.
As a project manager for MTD, I will recommend the dynamic an hybrid approach in dealing with the diverse challenges. With this approach the PM can navigate the challenges facing both linear and iterative approaches.
My organisational values include
Collaboration
Reliability
Respect
Integrity
Liberty
I try to inculcate these values when dealing with my team of five members
ethics and values are very essential in every work place environment.it guides the principles put in place.
The scope of ethics in projects
As a project manager, you will have to consider ethics in your projects. But what are they?
As a Project manager and a professional responsible for planning, executing, and closing projects, I am expected to adhere to a set of ethical principles and standards that contribute to the success of projects while maintaining trust, credibility, and positive relationships with stakeholders. The ethics of a project manager typically include the following:
Integrity by Honesty and Ethical Decision-Making:
Respect: Stakeholder Respect
Responsibility by Accountability
Fairness by Equitable Resource Allocation and Fair Procurement Practices
Communication by Clear and Open Communication and Confidentiality
Professional Competence by Continuous Learning and avoiding overpromising and underdelivering.
Leadership: Lead by Example and possesses conflict resolution skills
Legal Compliance: Adherence to Laws and Regulations
Customer Focus: Meeting Stakeholder Needs
Community Engagement: Community Impact
As a project manager contribute to the success of projects while maintaining trust, credibility, and positive relationships with stakeholders.
Think about the organisational values of your organisation, or of a group you are a part of. Can you identify some of them? How would they influence your work in projects?
The FCT fire service strategic plan commences with reappraising the visioning process. In this, it was necessary to clarify the values that the FCT Fire Service holds high to ascertain that it is in sync with her vision and mission statements. The values articulated from the inbuilt ideas, shared practices, perceptions and outlook of management, men and officers of the FCT Fire Service summarized as (COPPIS) are as follow:
Compassion: Maintaining and displaying empathy and care for those we serve and to one another.
Ownership: Ability to take responsibility of our actions as well as being accountable for all that we put our name to.
Partnership: Working together with the communities, partner agencies and others for the future of a disaster free FCT.
Professionalism: Showing competence in our duties while striving for excellence, better and innovative service delivery.
Integrity: Ensuring that we abide by ethical and moral standards in our dealings.
Selflessness: Ensuring that our staff and communities are at the heart of all that we do, striving to meet their differing needs and expectations and providing service with consideration of others above and before ourselves.
Every fireman also has the values he/she adheres to which is known as COPPEDIT in line with the values of the organization
Among the values we share is customer centricity. With us, it is mandatory to treat clients as King, ensure the services rendered give satisfaction to them. Also valued is commitment and perseverance in what we do to achieve the set goals. These are not only deployed in projects execution but in everyday activities to meet the organization objectives.
Part of the values we share on the project team i work on currently are connectedness and resilience. These in addition to other values drive how we approach work and deliver results. We’re constantly reminded to work together as a team as we can get more done working in that manner and we need to push through difficult moments to produce results that help make our project a success.