Ethics is part of everything we do. As a project manager, you constantly have to make decisions, and you do so through the prism of your values and ethics. Sometimes it is clear when ethics come in to play in decision making: should you accept that incentive or not? Should you mention that your partner works for that supplier?
Sometimes it isn’t clear at all: it’s not an incentive, it’s a bid team dinner. He or she didn’t start working for the supplier until after you identified that company as a potential vendor.
At PMI’s Leadership Institute Meeting earlier this month, Michael O’Brochta presented a 10-step draft framework for making ethical decisions. It is a work in progress, but I thought it was good and worth sharing. The official version will be released by PMI in due course, so here’s a sneak preview of the kind of thing it’s going to encompass.
Is this an ethical dilemma?
Maybe it’s a legal problem instead, or an issue about professional conduct.
Do you have all the information you need?
Don’t try to make a decision without all the facts. Get the data you need.
Are there others you should involve in this decision?
You may need to ask your manager or project sponsor to help make the decision.
What are your choices?
There are likely to be several possible outcomes. Weigh up all the alternatives after a full analysis, so you know exactly what choices you have. You could use a tool like iMindQ to capture all the possibilities.
What’s the best decision?
Once you know what your choices are, consider all the alternatives and the impacts of this. This was step 5 in the 10-step model that Michael presented, but it actually feels to me like the last step. We’ll have to see if the PMI working group changes this around.
How culturally sensitive is your preferred decision or the person it will affect?
Culture plays a big part in how we act. I had a really interesting discussion last week with Todd Williams about Native American law. Office cultures also play a part here: how acceptable is it for you to ask your project team to work overtime?
Are you capable of making a logical decision?
Don’t make decisions in anger or in haste. Step back if you are emotionally invested in the outcome. Wait until you can see clearly, and if you think that you won’t be able to do that, get someone else to make the decision.
What ethical principles can be applied?
Many companies have their own guidelines on what is and is not acceptable behavior. In the UK, the Bribery Act may inform your decision making. You can also draw on the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct or guidelines from your own trade body. During the presentation, we had a discussion about whether this step should come earlier in the process, as it could inform the decision making more effectively if it was earlier.
Are you ready to act?
Lights, camera, action...
Observe and reflect
One of the attendees commented that this step should also include ‘close’. It was important, she said, to communicate what decision was made and to ensure everyone had the same position after the decision was taken.