Ethics Bistro

When I recommend ethics related discussions, I often hear the comment: “Why should we bring up this topic? People understand ethics, they know what the requirements are, they do not need such reminders”. I usually read under lines “let’s not bore them with something like this”. Nevertheless, these discussions have a purpose and a tangible result. In order to prove this, let me challenge you with a question I’ve found in Dan Ariely’s Irrational Game. He describes an experiment in which the researchers asked the participants to list ten books they read in high school and others to list the Ten Commandments (to the best of their memory). Afterward, the participants were asked to perform a simple math problem, being paid based on their number of correct answers. The trick here was that participants self-reported the number of questions they answered correctly, meaning that they could lie about their scores and get more money. And now comes the question:

How did writing down the Ten Commandments instead of writing down ten books from high school affect people’s cheating habits?

What do you think: did the participants who first wrote down the Ten Commandments cheat more, less or to the same degree?

Dan Ariely disclose the results of the experiment: those participants who were asked to write down the Ten Commandments cheated less. Kind of interesting, don’t you think? The simple refresher of the values we were thought (probably) during childhood makes us more willing to respect them. Or, as the researchers state: “When we are exposed to external triggers that remind us of the importance of honesty, we became more aware of our own morality. As a result, we act more in line with how we would like to behave.” (Mazar, Amir, Ariely, 2008).

And what is the relevance of this experiment to us, project managers, you might (rightfully) ask: well, we are responsible for creating and maintaining an environment in which the values we believe in as project managers (Responsibility, Respect, Honesty and Fairness, the four values listed in our Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct) are respected. As project managers, we are responsible to set and agree on the norms that are expected to be followed by our team members. I know many colleagues who are doing this (some of them by developing those norms with their teams, others by referring to the company’s rules and regulations that should be accepted). But I don’t know anyone who – in the whirl of the project – takes the time to remind those things to their team. I’m sure that you know already that simply asking them to read the norms is far from being enough. They won’t, humans we are! So what can we do? As we have seen that even just a reminder can help. Can we have an interesting discussion with our team regarding ethics? The answer is simple: yes, we can! as we have a great tool. One that relies on the team’s answers (the beauty here is that they cannot argue against their own statements). The tool: Project Team Ethics Assessment is available to all of us (please download it from the PMI website: www.shorturl.at/bprAT) and it comes with detailed, step by step instruction on how to use it, how to facilitate the discussion and how to develop a plan to proactively address the team’s challenges.

Project teams are frequently confronted with potential ethical issues. Especially in today’s challenging times when we must cope with remote work, changing composition of teams, uncertainty regarding availability of resources, pressure of high expectations, and often blurred boundaries between the organization’s and the project’s authority. Let’s support our team members and create an environment where ethical issues are openly discussed and stopped to become an additional burden. Maybe people won’t speak up, but how can you argue with their anonymous feedback addressing what no one will talk about unless you have identified the need and created the environment where you can respectfully, honestly and candidly have those discussions. Give a chance to this tool: www.shorturl.at/bprAT.

Mazar, N., Amir, O., & Ariely, D. (2008). The dishonesty of honest people: A theory of self-concept maintenance. Journal of marketing research, 45(6), 533-644.

I read some time ago that a good project manager is the one who can leave for vacation without causing any impediments to his/her project (as the team is prepared, everyone knows exactly what to do and how to do it).

Assuming that you are such a project manager, who will enjoy your vacation not worrying about your project 😊, we thought to give you some nerd kind of entertainment: do you fancy a crossword?!

Solve it and let us know if you succeed to find the hidden word (made of the light blue highlighted letters). Enjoy!

Horizontal:

1. Our duty to show a high regard for ourselves, others, and the resources entrusted to us. 
2. It outlines the ethical principles that govern our decisions and behavior. 
3. A conclusion or resolution reached after consideration of all involved aspects, including ethics in most cases. 
4. Moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of an activity.
5. Our duty to make decisions and act impartially and objectively. 
6. …. Ethics Assessment – ethics tool, component of the Ethics Toolkit, that provides an effective four-step process to assess team members’ knowledge on ethics. 
7. Project Management Institute (abr.).
8. Situations in which we must recognize divergent interests and refrain from influencing decisions (3 words).

Vertical:

9. Ethics …. - designed by PMI to help project management practitioners to address ethical issues in their professional and volunteer activities.
10. Our duty to take ownership for the decision we make or fail to make, the actions we take or fail to take, and the consequences that result.
11. Framework developed by PMI, component of the Ethics Toolkit, that guides project managers toward ethical choices and accountability. (abr.)
12. One of the most important factors that affect business ethics, through different interpretation of values, practices, behaviors.
13. Morally good, justified, or acceptable. 
14. A professional in the field of project management (2 words).
15. Our duty to understand the truth and act in a truthful manner both in our communications and in our conduct.
16. Ethics ..... Assessment - ethics tool, component of the Ethics Toolkit, that allows one to become self-aware of own ethics knowledge, understandings, and principles.

Note: the Ethics Toolkit is available on the PMI website:  https://www.pmi.org/about/ethics/resources/toolkit

'Oh no, not this now… This could only happen to me. Fudge and fiddlesticks!'

'What's got into you, Mishu? Why are you so hot under the collar? Rather ‘warm under the collar', Gogu thought to himself amused, as Mishu, the giant Transylvanian, always looked calm even when he was at his wits' end. But this time he must have been more upset than usual, as he wouldn't react to his friend's challenge. He continued to stare at the laptop screen, clearly affected by something on it, summoning – in a slow and emphatic way – all sorts of demons and spirits, without specifying exactly how they were supposed to contribute.

Suddenly, Mishu jumped to his feet, getting ready to leave.

'I'll be on my way now…'

'That I can see for myself… But where are you going? I thought we were supposed to have a beer…'

'What beer, Gogu? Fudge and fiddlesticks and freaking mice!'

'Mice?!'

'Aha', Mishu nodded, 'those race-car shaped mice that we received from the partners of the event. They're gone!!! Fudge and…'

'Wait a minute, Mishu, have a seat and explain this to me. What do you mean by they're gone? And what in the world do we have to do with them?'

The giant sat down obediently and, with a bit of fudge-and-fiddlesticking, he started talking about the reason of his distress. They had received some promo materials from their partners for the new product launch event: some race-car shaped mice. Gogu recalled the gadgets that faithfully replicated the hundreds-of-horsepower rides, with logos and accessories, colours and markings: some miniature gems, made with a strong sense of duty. Mishu, who was in charge with organizing the event, seeing how mesmerized was one of his colleagues with the mouse, had encouraged him to take one. Probably as a result of this encouragement, the other colleagues, as well as the interns in charge with the booth had raided the received promo materials until there were none left.

'How could they have taken them?! They belong to the company, right? We got them in the name of the company. How come they left with them at home? The next thing I know, they are going to take all the equipment with them, too. Are they going to take the office furniture at home, as well? Gogu, you do realize that this is as if they took money from the account of the company, right? This is theft, Gogu! Larceny!

Mishu's face was changing colors like a traffic light, as he kept getting worked up over this. When the thought about theft sprouted in his mind, he turned all red and seemed to settle for that. The conclusion that he had reached was terrifying him, and he was bereft of fudge and fiddlesticks and any other words. He was staring at Gogu, quietly begging for help. Suddenly, another idea popped into his mind and now not only was he left without words, but now he was also left without any air:

'And I was the one encouraging him... Thievery! I shall go to blazes, Gogu, hell is going to take me over!'

Gogu added another piece of wood to the fire:

'Mishu, what can I tell you? I think you are right. You told Robert he could take a mouse... and all the others thought they were given the green light...'

'What green light, man? What green light? Robert was the most hardworking one; it was a reward for his efforts. I didn't say anything to the others. Put a sock in it! So what, if I had told them to do so, they would have taken money from the account of the company?'

'I don't think they made the connection, Mishu, they must have seen the mice as some freebie accessories, without connecting their financial value with the fact that they had been received by the company and they are, therefore, company property. In this case, the fact that they took them did not look to them like stealing. Just like in that joke about the kid and the pens...'

'Fudge and fiddlesticking kid and his pens, what in the world would he have to do with my mice?'

Gogu burst into laughter: the fudge and the fiddlesticks were back again.

'It goes like this: a kid comes home and his dad notices that he has a new pen. He asks the kid what happened and the kid admits that he had taken his desk mate's pen. The father gets upset and lectures the kid on how wrong it is to take someone else's things, on respect for other people's property. In the end, he adds: 'And if you have nothing to write with, just let me know and I will bring you from work as many pens as you want...'