Organizational Ethical Dilemma - How do you handle this?
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Mary*: Hey John, I didn’t see you for a long time. I hope all is well with you. John*: Not really. I have been on leave for the past two weeks. I am thinking of resigning. Mary: What happened? I thought your project was going well. John: The project is going well; we are in the second of the four sprints. The team is committed to the deliverables and engaged with the work. Just as we were in a steady state of the work, the client made a last-minute significant change to the project's scope with only a minimal extension to the timeline. As a project manager, I tried to defer or extend the schedule but that change was critical for them to survive in the market. I explained to the client that while I respect their request, I would need additional time to train my existing team on the new skills that would be needed to accommodate the changed scope of work. The client seems to have had a discussion with my manager about my request. Mary: What was the outcome of that discussion? I am sure your manager would have supported you. John: No, that was surprising! My manager wants my team to proceed with the new scope. I advised that the change would entail considerable effort and delay the project significantly. The project team would need added training, and we may need to hire a new skillset, too. My manager is unsupportive of training or hiring of the necessary skill sets. He has informed me of existing cost pressure preventing sanctioning an additional budget. They have asked me to discuss the scope internally with my team and recalibrate it. They would like me to hold off on features that are not a “must-have.” I don’t think this is fair to anyone. There is a lack of transparency. Mary: Oh! That’s unfortunate. What is his recommendation for going ahead with the project? John: My manager would like me to proceed with completing the project with the existing team and in the agreed-upon timeline. I tried convincing my manager by showing him the objective data around the existing gaps in the team to complete the project. I would like him to support me in talking to the client about the change. Mary: I think that’s fair. Have you scheduled a meeting with your manager to review the team's needs? John: My manager is not ready to listen to my requests. He has declined my meeting invite, adding a note of his decision to proceed with the changed scope with the existing team. He is against negotiation, and I think he is exercising his power of supremacy. I consider this to be unethical and disrespectful behavior. I also informed them that the client should be consulted before taking a call on the project scope. This is very unethical behavior. When my repeated requests fell on deaf ears, I planned a leave and now would like to resign. Mary: Sorry to hear that. While I am able to understand the context of your decision, I would like you to reconsider your decision to resign. Unethical behavior can cost the company its credibility and even trigger a lawsuit. Is this the first time that you have seen disrespectful behavior from your manager? John: This is surely not the first time and his behavior, often, has been the same way. The least I Does your organization have a Code of Ethics? If not, I suggest you review the Project Management Institute’s Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. The Code has four values, namely Responsibility, Respect, Fairness, and Honesty, with well-defined and expected behaviors. PMI’s Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct is time-tested, applicable to anyone connected with PMI in any capacity, and an industry-agnostic framework that is well accepted. It's easy to understand and explain in the context of unethical behavior. John: Oh yes. That’s helpful to know. How will it help me in my current ethical dilemma? Mary: Thank you. Outline your dilemma around the disrespectful behavior that you have noticed with your manager. As a proactive step to avoid any similar issues in the future, I suggest you the following recommendations for your consideration.
John: Thank you, Mary. This is helpful. I understand that our organization has a Code of Ethics in place, but I don’t think we have sufficient awareness about it. I agree with your suggestions. Resigning from the job is perhaps not a good option. I will talk to a senior leader in my organization and take on the responsibility of driving ethical behaviors at our workplace. Does this sound familiar to you all? I would like to know what you think about the topic. References
*names changed to protect privacy. All characters and incidents are fictitious.
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PMI Talent Triangle®: how to classify PDUs related to ethics
Categories:
Decision-making,
PMI Talent Triangle,
Power Skills,
Ways of Working,
Business Acumen,
Ethics
Categories: Decision-making, PMI Talent Triangle, Power Skills, Ways of Working, Business Acumen, Ethics
| Aaron and Ben have been friends and colleagues for many years. Ben owns a small software firm, and asked Aaron to step in to rescue a major project for an important government agency. With an inflexible deadline only six months away, the project is behind schedule and in danger of failing and Ben is very concerned that disappointing this client could mean going out of business. At the end of his review, Aaron explained his findings one-on-one with Ben. He said that the good news was that there was time to finish the development of the original scope and a good chance, but no guarantee, that full testing and defect correction could be completed by the original deadline. On the other hand, the bad news was that, while the team could commit to completing development of the expanded scope by the deadline, it simply was not possible to complete testing by then. Therefore, Aaron advocated that they focus on completing the original scope, and that he and Ben meet with the client to explain that the delivery might be delayed by two to four weeks depending on testing. He went on to suggest that they explain to the client that the extensions to the scope could then be separately provided in a subsequent release. The team felt, and Aaron agreed, that the time needed to analyze and estimate that second release should instead be spent on delivering the original requirements. He strongly argued for a fully transparent meeting with the client to explain the situation and get them to buy into the proposed new plan. To Aaron’s surprise As an experienced project manager, Victor recently joined a new organization after a five-month break due to layoffs at his previous job. He was hired as a PMO Lead and was eager to make a positive impact on his new team. However, he quickly realized that the team seemed hesitant to trust him, due to his newness to the organization or the time it would take for him to fully engage with them. Victor took various initiatives to engage with his team, scheduling regular cadence with them to get to know them better. However, he observed that the team was not seeking help when they needed it, and his peers were taking advantage of this situation. This lack of trust was affecting the progress of the team, the projects, and even the customers. Victor felt conflicted because he wanted to help the team succeed in their projects, but he also wanted to earn their trust and inspire them as their leader. He did not want the team to be affected by negative energies resulting from the trust issues. However, he realized that he was not being honest with the responsibilities assigned to him by the management and was not justifying his role as PMO Lead. According to the Project Management Institute's Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, honesty is defined as understanding the truth and acting truthfully in communications and conduct. Victor realized that he was not being honest with himself or the organization, and this was causing him to feel like he was not fulfilling his responsibilities. He considered leaving the organization as he did not want to compromise on his integrity. At the same time, Victor also realized that he may encounter similar situations in any new workplace, and his lack of confidence in himself may be due to the five-month break he had taken. He did not want to let his peers take advantage of this situation, and he wanted to find a solution that would align with his values and principles as a project manager. After careful consideration, Victor decided to take the following steps: As time passed, Victor noticed a positive change in his team's attitude towards him. They started seeking his guidance and support, and the team's progress improved. Victor regained his confidence as a project manager and felt that he was justifying his role in the organization. He realized that by being honest with himself and others, and upholding his professional values, he could overcome the initial trust issues and create a positive work environment. "What are your thoughts on how project managers can balance the need to be honest about their challenges while still fulfilling their responsibilities and justifying their role within an organization?" |
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Aaron was worried about risking their friendship, but eventually Ben convinced him. He started immediately with a two-week intensive project review. He quickly won the confidence of the project team. They were glad to have an audience for their project concerns because the previous PM had not wanted to give Ben or the client any bad news. As a result, he had agreed to scope expansion requests without assessing their impact on cost or schedule. Although the team told him that these additions meant it was impossible to meet the client’s deadline, he insisted that they try. It was a classic “watermelon project” – green on the outside, but red on the inside.
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