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 my place of work, the core value is respect for senior staff, team work, discipline and responsiveness. Each one is expected to respect his/her superior, follow instructions and act on time, by adhering to these values make the company to strive high as all hands is on the desk to make the company work.
Values like integrity foster transparency and trust among stakeholders, ensuring ethical behavior and honest communication throughout the project. Collaboration encourages teamwork and collective problem-solving, leading to innovative solutions and stronger relationships with stakeholders. A focus on customer needs ensures that projects deliver value and enhance satisfaction, while a commitment to excellence drives high-quality outcomes and continuous improvement. Adaptability enables project teams to respond effectively to changing requirements, while a culture of innovation fosters creativity and competitive advantages. Prioritizing sustainability promotes environmental and social responsibility, contributing to long-term project viability and positive social impact. By aligning project activities with these values, teams can enhance project success and contribute to the overall reputation and success of the organization.
The core values in my work place include honest, handwork, respect, corporation, discipline.
These are important and necessary of working together with client and also make the client to you and making the project easy to carry out.
It helps in achieving a great success
Core values in the organization I work is inclusiveness and team work. We are made to see one another as family and working together as one to achieve organizational goals as being the best.
The core values of the organizations I work with are excellence, honesty, humility, hard work, incremental improvement, customer service, care about people and respect for individuals. These values define everything we do. For one, our perspective on any project is inspired by empathy – we literally put ourselves in our customers’ shoes. This always defines the scope and direction of all we do.
We are also given to personal development and this way, we apply the value of incremental improvement to ourselves across-board as staff and also to our products and services; aiming to improve by as little as 1% on a monthly basis. We host monthly staff seminars and all staff are mandated to read a prescribed personal development book per month to keep their brain sharp. Thereafter, they are made to fill a questionnaire on a quarterly basis suggesting improvements we can make to the way we do business.
These are the ways in which our values shape our projects and our business methods.
Core values of the counseling professions are Discipline, Commitment, Empathy, confidentiality, integrity, justice, trust. These values have I learnt overtime because it helps working with clients more easy.
Client will open up more to someone they can trust and they believe they’re safe with.
And I am also ready to extend this value beyond the wall of counseling because these Values helps us relate well with society
Ethical values like honesty, accountability, respect, professionalism, efficiency and effectiveness are held in high esteem in the organization I belong to. The organization’s high standard is a result of its ethics being adhered to by its members. The importance and necessity of working together as a team cannot be understated in achieving great success.
In my former place of work, some of our values were to help families live healthy, positive and productive lives.
This helps us as a team to always put the lives of our beneficiaries first by creating awareness and educating them on how to be positive and productive.
1. Creativity: Encouraging innovative thinking i.e. thinking out-of-the-box.
2. Empathy: Understanding the feelings, perspectives, and experiences of customers.
3. Teamwork: Collaborating effectively, fostering a supportive environment, and recognizing the collective effort
4.Authenticity: Embracing transparency in all interactions.
Creativity: Encouraging innovative thinking and out-of-the-box solutions.
Authenticity: Embracing genuineness and transparency in all interactions.
Empathy: Understanding and empathizing with the feelings, perspectives, and experiences of customers.
Teamwork: Collaborating effectively, fostering a supportive environment, and recognizing the collective effort.