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, upholding Justice is our core value. Uphold justice, no matter the circumstances you are faced with. Justice to the society, defendant as well as the Nominal Complainant. Let all see that justice is been served, while helping victims of crime.
The major core values in my company is having an ownership mentality. We work as if we are the owners of the company. This inspires us collectively as a team and helps us achieve our project deadlines.
The value that my team members consistently exhibit in our projects is ownership. We usually give our all to achieve the best outcomes when we approach projects as though we own them. When you see a project as yours. It enables you to add all necessary values to it
The value exhibited in my workplace is ownership.When working on projects as if we own them ,we tend to put in maximum effort to get the best desirable results.
Our core values at my work place is uprightness and integrity.
We are in the Real Estate Industry and we ensure that our core values are strictly adhered to and implemented for a deliverable product that satisfy our customers and investors.
A core value i can attest to is Uprightness and Open mindedness. The ability to be free and friendly in my organization and also be open to criticism and constructive feedback is the most important value. I therefore know that no one is an Island of knowledge and so it has helped me a lot in dealing with my personal life and as well as work colleagues.
One of our core value here is transparency, we are a manufacturing firm and we ensure that all the core quality policies are adhered to and implemented for a deliverable product that satisfy our customers needs.
At my place is important that this below values are achieved:
Teamwork: Working together as a team with ideas of solving or enhancing a customer is fully satisfied.
Passion – having the passion to do the job without being always told to do what is expected of you is another core value.
Honesty: we tend to make sure all our clients trusts and believes what we give as options because this could influence their decision at end.
The values that we have at my organization that guide how we work are:
1. Passion – We bring and channel our feelings, emotion and zeal to the work that we do, knowing that we are dealing with issues and expecting changes that affect the psyche of our target audience.
2. Equality – We bring to our work knowledge, attitude, behavior and practices that reflect and promote equality and social justice
3. Equal opportunity – We are committed to practices and interventions that are non-discriminatory and promote the social development of children and young females regardless of residence, social and economic background.Integrity – We are committed to demonstrating high level of honesty, accountability and reliability, through consistency of actions and operations. We commit to letting our words be our bond under any circumstance.
4. Professionalism: High quality and efficiency in delivering our services to humanity is the hallmark of our skilled and competent human resource.
5. Change: We commit to leading transformation of patriarchal values that respects and preserves the dignity of girls and women in Nigeria
Some of the values that guide our organization are the following:
✓Feedback: Receiving constructive feedback from our clients and other team members help us to identify our strengths and weaknesses that can contribute to the effectiveness of projects.
✓Leadership: Team leads are to lead by examples through their various communication skills, resolution of issues and collaboration with other team members
✓Prudence: This implies that to execute diverse projects, being careful, cautious and considerate is vital for effective productivity
✓Teamwork: Working together as a team through brainstorming with individual different ideas promote the effectiveness of projects
✓Innovative: Being innovative is a crucial part of the values that keeps our organization moving. Creating and bringing different ideas so as to execute projects go a long way in developing our organization.
We value integrity and feedback.This implore quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. In the workplace, integrity is vital for building trust . When employees act with integrity, they are more likely to earn the trust of their colleagues and superiors, and they are also more likely to be respected and appreciated for their honesty and moral character. Feedback is an important part of integrity which we value so much, as it allows you as an employee to learn from their mistakes and grow into better, more ethical individuals. By being open to feedback, you can improve your integrity and become even more valuable members of the workplace.