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 the organization where I work .we believe in customer satisfaction and excellence.
We believe our food should test the best to our customers and the presentation should be excellent, for them to always come back and bring more friends with them.more customers to us.
One of the values of a music group I belong to is “ Excellence”. Every member of the group is obligated to do our work towards perfection, our level of delivery should be top-notch. The group is to collectively strive for perfection.
Second, “Character”, and integrity in action are other key values of the team. Every member is not just expected to be skilful alone but possess good character in relating with colleagues as well as clients.
Bad character overrides one’s skills, it affects negatively. Every member is expected to relate with honesty, humility and respect to colleagues and others.
Thirdly, “ Love”, it’s more expressive to say family bond. Building bonds that keep the team warm, where everyone is welcomed and loved for their uniqeness. A team where there is no discrimination, where there is acceptability. This value encourages teamwork, collaboration and a support system where personal growth is important as well as general growth.
In my organization, our main intrest is maintaining value and giving customer satisfaction. Our core values are ensuring that our clients get all the assistance, guide and information needed. I believe truly that this helps move the organization forward.
“Excellence in service” is one our set values in the establishment where I work. We render services to the general public as a government body and we believe that our service as to be top-notch one of the kind that cannot be received anywhere else and to be bespoke, tailored to suit individual needs.
One of my workplace core value is to build future leaders with creative minds. This is a set of share value as we believe that no child should be left behind in the classroom. So this understanding keeps guiding the team to source of innovative ways to include every child teaching. Teachers now know that no child is dull but they learn differently. All lessons are now tailored to accommodate the different learners in the classroom. While also allowing learners explore their creativity and bringing out the best in them. Truly, having a shared set of value as an organisation will launch the organisation forward and also make projects easy to achieve.
In my organization, our core value is customer satisfaction. As an operation manager for the company I work for, I understand our value is customer satisfaction, and this helps us to build a strong bond between us and our customers.
Being a customer service management personnel has thought me over the years how highly customers are valued and this is as a result of the core value of my firm which emphasizes on building a strong community with satisfied customers..
In my organization,our core value is honesty, empathy, dedication and accountability.
We take full responsibility for our acts hence the need to be dedicated.
As a research assistant, I’ve found that our organisational values of rigor, objectivity, and innovation are essential in guiding my work. These values remind me to prioritise accuracy and reliability in our research findings and to seek innovative solutions to complex research challenges. In project management, these values help me ensure that our projects are conducted with the highest level of quality and integrity. For instance, in a recent project, we had to make a difficult decision about resource allocation. Our organisational values reminded us to prioritise transparency and accountability, leading us to choose a solution that was fair and equitable for all stakeholders. By embracing these values, I’ve noticed a significant improvement in our team’s collaboration and overall project outcomes.
The main values where I work are striving for excellence and being supportive. The company encourages everyone to strive for excellence in their various field to achieve an overall excellent result. Construction work requires a collaborative effort so being supportive is encouraged.