Ethics Bistro

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.

1. Establish ground rules for ethical behavior. Identify common missteps and failure points. It's important to avoid areas of ambiguity that eventually turn out challenging.
2. Promote training and education around ethical behavior. Routinely provide refresher courses. Create problem-solving workshops. Consider any unethical behavior unacceptable.
3. Provide tools such as follows (indicative only)
   1. Team ethical assessment. This assessment from PMI’s Code of Ethics is useful for identifying the ethics grounding of your team.
   2. Ethical Decision Making Framework (EDMF) - a useful tool for identifying and solving an ethical dilemma.
   3. Ethical compliance training from your organization
4. Be proactive in identifying areas of unethical behavior and potential ethical failings. Foster ethical behavior at all places and always.

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

• PMI Values, Code, and Ethical Decision-Making Framework:  https://www.pmi.org/about/ethics/code
• PMI Ethical Values and the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (https://www.pmi.org/about/ethics)
• PMI Ethical Decision-Making Framework, or EDMF (also at https://www.pmi.org/about/ethics

*names changed to protect privacy. All characters and incidents are fictitious.