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.
My organizational values include:
1. Moral principles: This is necessary because as teachers, we are not just making knowledge available to students, but also helping them to learn sound moral principles. Hence we need to exhibit strong moral principles as practical examples.
2. Rules of conduct: We have laid down rules which helps to serve as checks for unprofessional behaviour in the organization.
3. Code of practice: These include integrity,team spirit among members, absolute commitment to tasks, professionalism among others helps us to achieve our goals as an organization.
4. Values: Our aim as an organization is to make knowledge available to students and give them solid foundation for academic and moral excellence.
Exactly, all these put in place constitute a long lasting environment to work and prosper in.
In my group or organization, our code of conduct is respect, accountability, and value.
In my organization, the values that guide our mode of operation is coined as RACE IT.
These are Respect, Accountability, Customer centricity, Excellence, Integrity and Teamwork.
These values are reflected in all our dealings with both internal and external customers. These values have modelled me as an individual to be an efficient and effective staff dealing with our customers as “king” and working within my team seamlessly with collaborative and better output.
Familua Adeniyi
Cohort 15 , Team 1
Every individual has a persuasion and conviction about particular set of rules or value which guides behaviour and conduct in any social context. The society itself has come to embrace certain rule or values guiding conduct and behaviour which helps to promote social cohesion. Likewise organisations commonly have developed values considered critical to attainment of business and corporate goals e.g Integrity, innovation, team work, professionalism, creativity etc.
Talking about organisations, values and moral principles are operational rules and ideals which serves to ensure safe delivery of organisational goals. The values ensures that staff in such organisation do not work at cross purpose but in sync to deliver corporate goals. This implies that the values and set of rules stated by the organisation creates a model for organisational culture.
In effect the shared values held by the staff is a standard for operations, productivity and performance. The project manager therefore must understand the shared values of a company that he/she is working for. This helps to work in the same spirit and sharing common values central to organisational goals. This will go a long way in making the work of the project manager easier. The values provide necessary bedrock and direction for any organisational and business investment.
No individual or Organisation functions without code of conducts. Values and moral principles are the bed Rock of any successful organisation. They form the basis for successful team work and result. It puts the team in check. In my suggestion, penalties as well as monitoring units should be inclusive for defaulters, because sometimes some human beings tend to act funny when not supervised and checked, not taking their jobs seriously because the manager or any other superior isn’t available to check them. But with the aid of monitoring units, CCTV if need be makes them take their job serious and deliver on time. I also suggest that the rules be revisited once in three months during a communication briefings or meetings to keep the team acquainted.
WORKING ETHICALLY IN PROJECT
CHINONYE DANIEL-UKAEGBU
COHORT 15
TEAM 3
In my place of work,our core values are
Integrity
Honesty
Cleanliness
Friendly
Humble
Team respect
Professionalism
In my place of work,our core values are
Integrity
Honesty
Cleanliness
Friendly
Humble
Team respect
Professuonalism
Core values in the workplace, such as integrity, teamwork, innovation, and accountability, serve as foundational principles that shape the organization’s culture and guide employee behavior. These values affect productivity by fostering an environment where employees feel valued and motivated. Strong alignment between personal and organizational values can enhance job satisfaction, increase loyalty, and boost morale, all of which are key drivers of productivity. When employees understand and embrace core values, they are more likely to collaborate effectively, pursue common goals, and maintain high levels of engagement. Conversely, a mismatch between personal values and those of the organization can lead to disengagement and decreased productivity. Thus, clearly defined and communicated core values are essential for achieving optimal organizational performance.
We are who we are because of our set values or principles that helps attract the necessary attention that brings us to being relevant or noticed. So as a PM, it is this value that help us shape the ethics like the rules of engaging stakeholders or clients. Principles, rule of conducts, codes of practice.e.t.c.
Values makes up the core of an organization which is very key in any organization. As a manager, we have core values in my organization which we see as key. We recite these values every day so they can stick to our minds. Some of the values are honesty, hard work, respect for individuals, cleanliness etc. These core values affect our jobs positively and makes our job stands out. Values makes our work unique.