The Ethics of Harry Potter
From the Ethics Bistro Blog
by Tara Leparulo,
Shenila Shahabuddin, Juan Posada Toro, Albert Agbemenu, Ming Yeung, Kannan Ganesan, Yannick Arekion, Witold Hendrysiak, Stelian ROMAN, Laszlo J. Kremmer MBA, CSPO®, CSM®, PMP®
We all tackle ethical dilemmas. Wrong decisions can break careers. Which are the key challenges faced? What are some likely solutions? Where can we find effective tools? Who can apply these and why? Dry, theoretical discussions don't help. Join us for lively, light conversations to learn, share and grow!
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A few days ago I was with a friend from my University in a cafeteria in Milan, Italy.
He was talking about his projects and his technical knowledge; he is indeed one of the smartest and brilliant minds I know.
Then, he referred to a possible ethical dilemma he felt, and his ability to act right away.
Let me quote Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets:
“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities,” I told him.
He laughed out loud: “Are you really quoting Harry Potter? And what’s that all about”?
I explained to him the personal meaning I give to this quote; one of the essential abilities a manager has is not only what he/she knows and does, but the choices made.
A recent HBR study(1) showed that most of the people are quicker to judge than they think, and they use lesser information than needed.
This can be especially critical when facing an ethical dilemma: you need to make sure to have all the facts and approach it in a structured way.
The ethical decision-making process is a cognitive process where people consider ethical rules, principles, and guidelines when making decisions.
PMI has developed a tool to support and guide all the project managers for critical thinking throughout the ethical decision-making process.
You can find the process in the image below:
And the full tool with supporting questions (in 15 languages) is here: https://www.pmi.org/about/ethics/code
As you can see, taking the right decision needs time: to collect all the fact, to consider the choices, to identify and test the candidate decision, to make a decision.
Even Harry Potter takes bad decisions when he doesn’t take time to think!
In the Potter-world, it is often cited the fact that he could have saved himself a lot of dread if he had just taken a moment to think and asked Ginny for help. In the book “Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix” he isolates from the one person nearby who knew what it was like to be possessed by Voldermort.
Ultimately, ethical choices diminish risk, advance positive results, increase trust, determine long term success and build reputations (2).
Leadership is absolutely dependent on ethical choices.
“... and that’s why I quoted the book”.
He smiled at me and said that two espressos were on him. That was the real magic because he is usually a bit stingy.
--- - ---
DISCLAIMER: The photo was taken by myself to a toy I own
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
- https://hbr.org/2019/03/we-use-less-information-to-make-decisions-than-we-think
- www.pmi.org/ethics
Posted
by
Fabio Rigamonti
on: November 17, 2019 04:11 AM |
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Thanks Mohammad,
good point!
How would you do that? How can you ensure to connect with it?
Please keep the momentum going
Gretta Kelzi
Operations Manager/Ethics Insights Team| Esri Lebanon/PMI
Jdeidet Al Maten, Al Maten, Lebanon
Very true Fabio,
Totally agree that ethics are the foundation of making the best possible decisions.
Thank you for the feedback, Gretta!
The EDMF is truly a powerful tool to make sure all the elements are taken in account, when making a decision.
Amany Nuseibeh
Speaker, Global Leader | Optimal Consulting
Sydney, Nsw, Australia
Thank you Fabio for sharing this story and mapping to Harry Potter's! As PMs, we have to make decisions on daily basis, some require more reflection, facts gathering and hence - time, while some are immediate, responsive and could be classified as urgent and important. The EDMF is great in providing a structured approach to dealing with challenging situations.
I hope you enjoyed the espresso!
Thanks, Amany, for the feedback.
Indeed EDMF is a great help, like a free Italian espresso ;-)
Valerie Denney
Associate Professor| Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University- Worldwide
Cleveland, Sc, United States
Fabio, Thank you for sharing your creative take on ethical decision making. It occurs to me that part of the issue is deciding what to do, but the other part is acting upon the decision. Know what to do is only half the battle. Resources such as Giving Voice to Values is a great source for developing that skill in knowing how to take action. Here is a sample video.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gKie7qSimc
Thanks, Valerie, you're right!
How to take actions is as important as knowing all the choices.
It's great your shared Mary Gentile's intro video. I attended one of her MOOC, a long time ago.
Thanks for sharing this and I can't agree with you more....
Lily Murariu
Research Council Officer Program Advisor| National Research Council Canada
Cantley, Quebec, Canada
Thanks for sharing, Fabio.
Being willing, ready and capable to connect with our inner self, with our consciousness denote a high level of maturity, and our capability to "stop, pause, and think before react".
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