Analyze and assess the impact of Ethics on Project Management:
Read Gray & Larson pages 353 – 359.
Identify two external articles on Ethical Practices in Project Management.
Write a 2-3 page paper which accomplishes the following:
Summarizes the Gray & Larson material and synthesizes the information in the two external articles.
Draft your own personal ethical statement of practice in which you identify key characteristics of your ethical self.
Identify one area of focus in project management that can be more suspectible to ethical pressure and how you would address the situation.
Ensure you follow APA style guidelines.
Analyze and Assess the Impact of Ethics on Project Management
Content Analysis
Effective project management has numerous facets, including the need for ethical leadership. Larson and Gray (2014) suggest that followers observe the leader establish the course of action of how to behave in specific situations, such as when faced with an ethical dilemma. Therefore, leaders should behave in such a way that their followers emulate positive behavior because when they face a challenging situation, they look at their leader to get a direction. The authors suggest that leaders should behave ethically always since their decisions affect the actions of many people, their followers. Müller and Bredillet (2014) challenge project managers to develop an ethical model that they expect members of their teams to follow when making decisions in ethical dilemmas. The model should be founded on experience and “good action” instead of theory since they should apply the knowledge in practice. The author suggests that leaders should learn to balance between two excesses in ethical dilemmas. Ljungblom and Lennerfors (2018) suggest the need for project managers to develop virtue ethics and apply the framework when making decisions about their operations. They should avoid vices and embrace virtues, such as courage, truthfulness, fortitude, and moderation.
Personal Ethical Statement of Practice
I have numerous characteristics that qualify my ethical statement of practice. First, I am fair and just; I avoid favoring anyone in whatever situation. For example, my followers never complain about biases under my leadership because I embrace equality. Secondly, I have respect for the self and others and believe that all members of the team have a positive contribution to the project. I value the contribution of others, compassionate about the needs of others, and generous even when dealing with conflicting interests. Apart from respect, I like honesty and encourage others to be honest. Thirdly, I am humane and act in ways that benefit others. Lastly, I strive to make ethical decisions always, even when confronted with ethical dilemmas. I have learned to assess all points of view in a situation before deciding the course of action to ensure that I have applied an ethical decision-making model. For example, I would consider the impact of taking either alternative in an ethical dilemma before making a choice. The qualities make me an ethical leader who can lead by example.
One Area of Focus in Project Management
One of the areas in project management that are susceptible to ethical pressures is the procurement of materials and supplies for the implementation. During the procurement process, the project manager could face the dilemma of acquiring expensive quality, but expensive supplies or looking for cheaper suppliers to save the cost of the project. The project manager makes the critical decision considering the budget since the sponsor expects them to work within the budget. Thus, they might be tempted to purchase cheaper materials to reduce the risk of working beyond the budget. The situation presents an ethical dilemma that the project manager and his team should address to prevent emerging problems in the course of the project lifecycle. The manager should decide based on the views of Larson and Gray (2014) that the rest of the team watches what the manager does and behaves accordingly. The manager could decide to use the quality supplies regardless of the cost and approach the sponsor in case the materials’ prices overrun the budget. The project manager has a responsibility to various stakeholders in the project, including sponsors and members of the project team (Eskerod, Huemann, & Savage, 2015). All decisions should be in the best interest of the stakeholders.
References
Eskerod, P., Huemann, M., & Savage, G. (2015). Project stakeholder management—Past and present. Project Management Journal, 46(6), 6-14.
Larson, E. W., & Gray, C. F. (2014). Project Management: The Managerial Process with MS Project. McGraw Hill
Ljungblom, M., & Lennerfors, T. T. (2018). Virtues and Vices in Project Management Ethics: An Empirical Investigation of Project Managers and Project Management Students. Project Management Journal, 49(3), 5-16
Müller, R., & Bredillet, C. (2014). Ethics in project management: some Aristotelian insights. International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 7(4), pp. 1-20.
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