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.
The values in my organization are right attitude to work, integrity,teamwork, commitment to work and discipline.
These values positively affect how we work on the project successfully. We give the right attitude to work, carry out your task for each day, be a person of integrity is a good personal ethics, we collaborate as teamwork and each person contribution really matters in achieving the project before deadline.
I work with an instituition that places value on collaboration, working together effectively to achieve a common goal and Integrity, emphasizing the need to be honest and ethical in all actions and decisions.
i worked in the construction industry and it’s important to prioritize value and inclusiveness of all stakeholder engage in an ongoing project. Value extends beyond cost-efficiency to encompass quality and stakeholder satisfaction. By optimizing resources and fostering innovation, delivering lasting results while building trust and credibility is certain.
Inclusiveness entails embracing diverse perspectives and fostering a culture of respect and collaboration. Every voice matters no matter the position to enriching our projects and drive creativity.
I work in a religious organization where we place more values on discipline and integrity. This has really helped the organization to uphold her standard as well as produce competent people and achieve great results in the organization.
I would be designed to facilitate collaboration by providing useful and relevant information to users, enabling them to engage in productive conversations and work together effectively. Additionally, I may incorporate features that allow users to contribute to and improve my responses over time.
Organisational values at my work place uphold is fairness, professionalism, and integrity,we focus on teamwork collaboration to achieve projects goals collectively.
Organizational values, such as integrity, teamwork, innovation, customer focus, and continuous improvement, play a crucial role in guiding behavior and decision-making within a group or company. For instance, if integrity is a central value, team members prioritize honesty and transparency in communication, ensuring information accuracy and addressing potential risks openly. Similarly, emphasizing teamwork fosters collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and mutual support among team members to achieve project goals collectively. Integrating organizational values into project work cultivates a positive work culture, promotes cohesion among team members, and ultimately contributes to project success by aligning behaviors with shared principles and goals.
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.
The values that we uphold in my place of work are:
1. Fairness: we will take everyone as equals
2. Integrity: our morals will never be questioned
3. Justice: be rest assured of being treated right
4. Professionalism: standards will be upheld at all times.
All these help shapen how we work as a team on projects.
Some of the core values in my organization are timeliness, fairness and taking charge.
It is a regimented environment and every activity has its alloted time. So it is pertinent for the given time for an activity to not be exceeded so as to not affect the next task planned for the day.
Given that we handle individuals who can sometimes be erratic, it is important to be fair in their handling and we also need to take charge of them in order to direct them and mold their behaviors properly.