Ethical Questions in Practice: 3 Moments That Test Our Fairness
Shenila Shahabuddin is a seasoned project manager in the IT field with experience in managing cross-functional and diversified projects.
Ethical questions rarely arrive with an obvious right answer. More often, they emerge in familiar situations: evaluating someone we know, recognizing work that happens outside the spotlight, or responding when an influential person asks for an exception.
These moments test more than our intentions. They ask us to consider whether our decisions are impartial, transparent, and based on criteria we could confidently explain to others. The following three scenarios explore what fairness can look like in practice—and the questions project professionals should ask before making a decision.
Part 1: The Friend Behind the Proposal
The proposal looked good. The vendor had the right experience, the right technical capabilities, and a competitive price. There was just one complication: the company’s owner was an old friend of the project manager.
“We’ve worked together before,” the friend said over the phone. “You know you can trust us.”
The project manager trusted him. That was precisely what made the decision uncomfortable.
She could participate in the evaluation and convince herself that her judgment was objective. Or she could acknowledge that the relationship might influence the process or make others question its fairness.
She chose to disclose the relationship to the appropriate stakeholders and seek guidance on managing…
Please log in or sign up below to read the rest of the article.
|
"It is impossible to travel faster than the speed of light, and certainly not desirable, as one's hat keeps blowing off." - Woody Allen |
