Ethics Bistro

“Fairness is not an attitude. It's a professional skill that must be developed and exercised – Brit Hume”

In the dynamic world of project management, maintaining fairness and avoiding favoritism and prejudice are crucial for fostering a productive and harmonious work environment. These ethical challenges can significantly impact team morale, project outcomes, and the overall success of an organization. Let’s delve into how fairness, favoritism, and prejudice play out in project management and explore strategies to address these issues effectively.

1. The Importance of Fairness

• Impartial Decision-Making: Fairness in project management involves making decisions impartially and objectively. This means evaluating team members based on their skills, performance, and contributions rather than personal biases or relationships.
• Equal Opportunities: Providing equal opportunities for all team members to participate, contribute, and grow is essential. This includes fair distribution of tasks, recognition, and rewards.

2. The Detrimental Effects of Favoritism

• Resentment and Demotivation: Favoritism can lead to resentment among team members who feel overlooked or undervalued. This can result in decreased motivation and productivity.
• Unbalanced Workload: When certain individuals are favored, it can lead to an unbalanced workload, where some team members are overburdened while others have less to do. This imbalance can affect the overall efficiency of the project.

3. Addressing Prejudice in the Workplace

• Awareness and Training: Raising awareness about unconscious biases and providing training on diversity and inclusion can help mitigate prejudice. This ensures that all team members are treated with respect and fairness.
• Inclusive Culture: Promoting an inclusive culture where diverse perspectives are valued and encouraged can help reduce prejudice. This involves actively listening to and considering the viewpoints of all team members.

4. Strategies for Promoting Fairness

• Transparent Processes: Implementing transparent processes for decision-making, task allocation, and performance evaluation can help ensure fairness. Clear criteria and open communication are key to maintaining transparency.
• Regular Feedback: Providing regular and constructive feedback helps team members understand their strengths and areas for improvement. This fosters a culture of continuous learning and development.

5. Creating a Positive Work Environment

• Recognition and Appreciation: Recognizing and appreciating the efforts and achievements of all team members fosters a positive work environment. This helps build trust and encourages everyone to contribute their best.
• Conflict Resolution: Addressing conflicts promptly and fairly is crucial. Ensuring that all parties are heard and that resolutions are based on facts rather than biases helps maintain a harmonious team dynamic.

Conclusion

Fairness, favoritism, and prejudice are critical issues in project management that can significantly impact team dynamics and project success. By promoting fairness, addressing favoritism, and mitigating prejudice, project managers can create a more inclusive, productive, and positive work environment. This not only enhances team morale but also drives better project outcomes.

Question:

What are your experiences with fairness, favoritism, and prejudice in project management? How have you addressed these challenges in your projects? Share your thoughts and insights!

By Dr. Valerie Denney, PMI EMAG Member and PMP

Let’s discuss a hypothetical, but all too real project management situation. Let’s suppose you’ve been with the same company for 6 years in which time you have been assigned increasingly responsible positions including 2 years as a project manager.  You professional track record is impeccable but you’ve been left aside even if you are so ready for the next step!

Maybe your dreams will come true!  The director of projects approaches you and she want to promote you, if you agree to take the project management position on a high priority project that, well, “has had some tough spots”.  What a job offer!

Then the next morning, you receive more details from the director of projects: the project is 30% over budget on a fixed price contract, 50% behind schedule on a 14 months project, and two days ago there was a major technical failure.  Oh, and your business unit’s success (and the director’s job) depends on the project success.  What’s your second reaction? Do you still want the job? Now you know more about it, and you’ve been given more time to think about it.

At lunch you overhear one of the project team members say”there is no way to save this project from being cancelled”.  From other comments you realize that you didn’t know how the team moral can get any worse:  “The sponsor hates us and can’t wait for us to fail” another laments in frustration.  Now what?  What’s your third reaction?

You go back to the director of projects to discuss your concerns.  After all, you’ve been taught that open, honest communication is always the best.   You’re told it would reflect badly upon you if you don’t take this opportunity—after all it would seem that you really aren’t interested in career growth after all.  The conversation continues with comments about you “needing to step up” and “this is no place for weak players” and “she knows dozens of project managers who would jump at this opportunity if you’re not capable.”  You feel that you are being bullied into taking this position but what if you fail? Would I lose my job?  How will my family handle this, especially with a new baby on the way?

The discussion continues with what seems like a veiled positive note “you will be given complete authority to do WHATEVER it takes.”  OK, I like authority! But wait, there is more! If you are the project manager you are expected to “only bring forth solutions, and not problems”.   She concludes with “what I don’t know, can’t hurt us”. If that isn’t a red flag, I don’t know what is?  If you are not familiar with the concept of a red flag, it is an idiom or metaphor to signal a dangerous situation.

You reflect on her words and the tone.  “WHATEVER it takes”?  “Legal and illegal”?  Against company policy?  Conveniently manipulation of the truth?  Poor behavior? Flawed decisions and judgment? WHERE does this end?  Could you live with your moral self after the act? Abuse of power and authority?

Think now about the principles in the PMI Code of Conduct and Professional Responsibility.

First is responsibility:  we have a “duty to take ownership for the decisions we make or fail to make, the actions we take or fail to take, and the consequences that result.” Wow!  Am I really prepared to take responsibility for everything, even things that are outside of my control?  There is a lot of history that can’t be undone. Do I have the necessary to understand the consequences of my decisions?

Next is respect:  we have a “duty to show a high regard for ourselves, others, and the resources entrusted to us”.

Resources include people, money, and reputation among others.  Am I prepared to show respect even if I need to remove poorly performing employees? Even if I face criticism about making tough decisions? Even if I might be bullied? Even if I am told that I was selected only because no one else would take the job?

Next is fairness: we have a “duty to make decisions and act impartially and objectively”. Can I really be free of self-interest?  Mine is that I can’t afford to be fired. Can I avoid favoritism and not hurt anyone’s feelings?  Are all my decisions fair, for the project, for the team, for the organization, for myself?

The fourth and final principle is honesty:  we have a “duty to understand the truth and act in a truthful manner both in our communications and in our conduct”.

What if I am tempted to withhold information? Hide the facts? Bend the truth? Change the truth for beneficial gains? What if the project erodes further before it gets better? What if I fail?

Well, this is my reality! Enough about the questions, what about solutions?  There are no easy answers.

Sometimes we are faced with conflicts, and yes, ethical dilemmas.  I leave you with some thoughts for consideration and potential solutions.

1.      Know yourself.  Know your limits.  Know your strengths and weaknesses.  No one is expected to solve everything alone.

2.      Don’t isolate yourself when in a difficult situation. Find a mentor—a trusted person who you can talk to about your concerns and alternatives to tough problems. Who can you turn to for advice and council? 

3.      Be prepared: Take a class on project management?  Can you get Project Management Professional (PMP) certification [or renew] for that continual quest to improve.

4.      Use you PMI resources: read the PMI Code of Conduct and Professional Responsibility; learn about how to deal with a bully; practice using the Ethical Decision Making Framework. 

Learn more about these through the links below, or contact PMI Ethics Member Advisory Group (EMAG). This team is an advocate of the PMI Code of Ethics, acts as Product Leader in creating tools and techniques, and facilitate stakeholder understanding and application of the Code of Conduct and Professional Responsibility.

5.      Don’t be afraid to take on a challenge.  If you really want that next career step, give it a try! Just don’t forget about 1, 2, 3 and 4 above.

Remember that project management is a team sport.  You may have a tough road ahead, but you don’t need to navigate it alone.

For more information, click on the following links:

PMI Code of Conduct and Professional Responsibility (https://www.pmi.org/about/ethics/code)

Project Bully https://www.pmi.org/about/ethics/resources/bully

Ethical Decision-Making Framework. https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/ethics/ethical-decision-making-framework.pdf

Source of all graphics is “Creative Commons”, licensed under CC BY 2.0

_{Note – Readers might find this story distressing as it involves a team member passing away. Please use your own judgement.}

_{Helen has heard it a few times, her counterpart from the supplier’s side wanted to attend to a team member related emergency.  Maya, the new team member has arrived just last week to take on a change management piece of work for a large and complex program.  Maya hasn’t been on site but once.  When Maya arrived to meet her new team, she excused herself as soon as she could – not feeling well and suspecting that she had food poisoning.} 

_{Maya joined a couple of conference calls during the week. However, she has not joined the call she scheduled just before the weekend.  Maya’s colleagues have been trying to get in touch with her via phone and email with no response from Maya’s side. Knowing that she wasn’t feeling well, they thought initially that she might need to rest. As a new week started and another day went by, with Maya not responding to emails, text messages or phone calls, they thought they would ask the hotel staff to check on her. The staff advised that they have not entered the room for a few days respecting the “Do not disturb” sign that was put up. Fearing the worst, the team urged the hotel staff to get into the room to check on her. Unfortunately, fears translated into reality as she was found in her room resting peacefully but with no sign of life!} 

_{What could have happened if the team checked on Maya before? What would have happened if any of her team members accompanied her or insisted to pay her a visit or take her to the doctor? Everyone in the team was in mere shock, the emotions ranged from guilt, blame, sadness, frustration and anger. The blow was more than any team member could handle on their own.}

_{This was one of so many defining moments for Jack, who himself has moved countries to run the IT department and drive a large and complex transformation, modernizing the organization’s customers journey and building the back-bone for further incremental transformations to follow. The program has partnered with one of the off-shore IT suppliers to accompany them on the transformation journey, providing experienced resources both onshore and off-shore, flying people in and out of the country.}  

_{Moving from his home country, Jack embraced his new-found home, the diversity of his teams, the variety of cultures, values, attitudes and behaviors that they all bring.  Jack has been tested numerous times while driving this initiative. The organization’s policies and priorities have safety and well-being at the top. This is well advertised and communicated, with functions, activities and awareness campaigns running in every corner. However, this specific program has faced several safety and well-being challenges. The program progress was slower than anticipated, running behind schedule, there was a definite need for the team to work harder in order to catch-up. Working late and during weekends have become the norm rather than the exception. The team members have been trying their best to ensure that all of this happens while still adhering to the organisation’s policies and practices ensuring safety and well-being, especially those who were new to the country.}

_{Eighteen months since Maya’s incident, things have changed. Jack managed not only to deliver the program successfully, but also to have a happy and safe team, satisfied stakeholders, executives and the organisation’s Board.  Jack managed to turn the environment from a grim, sad one that had a negative impact on the team’s health and well-being to one that is more compassionate and understanding, translating policies into actions.  Furthermore, Jack was now looking forward to the new executive role he’s been offered in recognition of his outstanding leadership.}

_{So how did Jack manage to turn this negative situation into a positive one, bring the team together, deliver and be promoted?  Simply put “Empathy and Ethics”.}

_{Empathy as defined by Pressley, Delores}[i]_{”is the ability to experience and relate to the thoughts, emotions or experience of others. Empathy is more than simple sympathy, which is being able to understand and support others with compassion or sensitivity. Simply put, empathy is the ability to step into someone else’s shoes, be aware of their feelings and understand their needs”.}

_{Empathy is the oxygen breathing life into the relationship between individual and other, a metaphor introduced by Heinz Kohut (1977)}[ii]

_{Applying the questions posed by Pressley, Delores}i_{on The Importance of Empathy in the Workplace might help us understand how Jack’s empathy played a critical role in turning the tide.} 

_{Jack understood the needs of all team members}

_{Jack was well-aware of the conflicting priorities on the program, the layers of complexities within the cultures, especially co-locating client and supplier’s teams to work under one roof, bringing people from all corners of the world, while at the same time embedding new practices and policies.} 

_{The supplier has won this gig in a very competitive bid, that pushed margins down. The supplier was pushing hard to meet their obligations under the contract, delivering according to schedules and timelines that have been committed as part of the bid. However, the toll that this took on team members was too dear a price to pay no matter which side they worked for. While Jack was committed to delivery, his priorities were surely team safety and well-being.}

_{He realized that there are a number of factors at play in this situation, some he would have to tackle immediately and others he would have to put in place at a later stage. His humanistic side has come to the forefront, gathering the team, going through the detailed steps of the situation,  analyzing what could have been done better and what can be done in the future.  His empathy; putting himself into the supplier’s shoes, understanding the context without judgement or fear, taking steps to ensure that no other staff would have to go through any similar situation.} 

_{He assembled the team members who were most close to Maya, gathering data and collecting information about what has been going on with her as a person, tracing her steps from the time she landed in the country, who contacted her and which capacity, drawing the timeline and the interactions.  While collecting the information, Jack demonstrated his appreciation for Maya and for every team member who got in touch with her, as well as the approach the supplier is undertaking to catch-up on delays.  His empathy combined with his high ethical standards, made each and every team member share detailed information about their communications, coming to an agreement on the gaps and what to needs to be in place to ensure that this situation would not be repeated in future. In understanding each team member’s experience in this instant, Jack has been developing a close relationship with the team.}

_{What traits/behaviors did Jack have that would qualify his as empathetic?}

_{Empathy requires three things} [i]_{: listening, openness and understanding.  Jack realized that delivering a successful transformation required that all team members, no matter which camp they belong to, are to feel safe and be well - both physically and mentally.  Hence, his understanding of the team’s feelings and emotions were critical to the next steps that he had to undertake.} 

_{Empathy drove Jack to have a meeting with the executives and organization’s Board to negotiate more acceptable timelines taking into consideration the current situation and the progress rate to date. At the same time, he worked with the team to re-visit the schedule and suggest a couple of alternatives for delivery. This bad news has already claimed the previous head! Yet, Jack was not deterred. He believed firmly that there was a fine balance that needed to be maintained between delivery and well-being. He cared about his team, every single individual and the incidents that they have been through to date, while also caring about successful delivery of this very critical strategic initiative.} 

_{What role does empathy play in the workplace? Why does it matter?}

_{Jack’s understanding of the team members was critical to understanding the challenges that he would  face.  He made the team feel safe by not resorting to blame, but by listening openly and without any judgement.  This openness and understanding made the next steps much easier and as Jack had a clearer picture of the challenges he and the team would face.}   

_{As each team member felt safe sharing their experiences, Jack had a better understanding of the changes that were needed. He identified areas for improvement such as formulating a “body system” for each employee, re-negotiating a more acceptable timeline - assisting struggling teams in catching-up while maintaining their well-being.}

_{So why isn’t everyone like Jack - more empathetic at work?}

_{Jack was one of the most humanistic, empathetic and ethical bosses the team and organization could ever have. With empathy and ethics, he managed to get the team through these heart-breaking times.  Empathy was not easy and took lot of hard work on Jack’s part, and this helped him put his head and shoulders above other leaders within the organization, where not only he was recognized for his outstanding leadership by his teams, his colleagues, the organization and the Board, but also his professional community.}

_{Would you consider yourself to be empathetic? Would you share your empathy story? or how about sharing a “lack of empathy” story along with its impact?} 

References

[i]_{https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/empathy-and-relationships/201701/the-connection-between-empathy-toward-others-and-ethics}

[ii]_{http://www.sbnonline.com/article/the-importance-of-empathy-in-the-workplace/}

“Hey Peter, here’s my submission. Apologies for the delay but had to do some research to get the algorithms working the right way”. Maya rushed into Peter’s cabin.

“Thanks. What took you so long?” Peter wanted to know.

“Oh! I needed time to check on the output. That took some time. The logic behind these algorithms was present on a website and I used that material” Maya continued.

Peter was a new project manager to the organization and had been recently deputed to a project related to Innovation in the information technology domain. He was a product of an elite business school and was chosen for this project for his innovative ideation and a drive to succeed.

Peter knew this work wasn’t Maya’s original work and it needed to be called out by providing an appropriate citation.  However Peter also knew if she did that, his project would not be considered for Innovation and that he and his team would lose out on the award.

“Well we need to make the appropriate attributions to the original document that had the logic. That would be an appropriate next step” Maya wanted to check with Peter.

“I guess so but the process of deriving output is your work and so I don’t think we need to call an attribution separately.  I have noted that the so called “original” works that are out there are actually ideas from other sources. I guess it is fine to be “inspired” by such ideas as there is always someone who would have said it before you do. I would focus on our part of the work and in this case our original work is in processing the output or the effort that has gone in deriving the research outcome. Your part of the activity is quite complex and important for the eventual objective of our project” – Peter.

“Well I don’t agree with you. After all the output is the function of the original algorithms and those are not my original scripts” Maya continued to debate.

“Well, I guess I differ with your thought. Also remember that if we do so we are likely to be disqualified and will probably be out of the Innovation contest. Do you really believe that all original work out there is truly "original"? Well we are inspired by someone's ideas and that fuels the creativity in us. Well, give it a thought and let me know what you think” – Peter seemed disappointed.

Given the easy availability of information on internet for most of the research papers today, these instances are not uncommon. This dilemma cuts across domains. It’s a belief that the scope for original thinking has reduced and that most of the works are a “copy-paste” or a derivation of someone’s original work. Blatant copying of original works and passing it off without an appropriate attribution is a common complaint. Resorting to these tricks is perceived as means for a quick success. The publishing community is quite aware of this and has set appropriate check points (created software applications for plagiarism check) to flag such instances.

What can be done in such situations? How do we drive inspiration to write original articles? How can project managers work towards an appropriate balance of creativity and derivation? Applying originality of thoughts with the right attributions builds on the credibility of the author and ensures their authenticity and appropriate processing of guidelines.

Your thoughts on this ethical dilemma are welcome….

Disclaimer: all characters, names and incidents in this story are fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Have you ever had an ah-ha moment because of something that just happens to you?

As I sat at my desk preparing for a Skype call with a colleague from across the globe,  I watched the sun rise as it kissed and glistened the morning dew.  While sitting in front of a pair of windows, I noticed the one on my right had taken on cloudiness in the glass, and the window on the left is perfectly clear. And yes, the azaleas are still blooming, and the mock cherry is starting to light up!

Since I sit right in the middle, and with a slight turn of my head I could go from a crispy clear view to a not so clear view. 

As the phone rang, a multitude of thoughts were racing through  my head, including several  quotes, “if you change the way you look at things the things you look at change!” – Wayne Dyer.

“Good leadership requires the ability to imagine life through another’s eyes”- Seth Godin.

And then I checked on a definition of Empathy- “Being able to appreciate and experience emotion from another person’s perspective.”

This led me to think about the many ways we view the world, and how often we have differing interpretations or views of the same idea or situation, whether it be a problem, an opportunity or a solution.  We tend to view the world and our impact through our own lenses.  I wondered how much we could benefit and learn from other perspectives  and how my   friend was seeing the world today.  

So, I asked…., and here is a small portion of our conversation. 

Although we did not achieve the intended purpose of our call, what we did accomplish by better understanding each other and growing our relationship was much more valuable.   

While this happened by accident, we imagined how many of our  relationships that would  benefit from having more of these types of conversations, intentionally! 

We discussed the critical importance of clarity.  What is crystal  clear to one person may not be so clear to the next person.  And within that difference, with its presence or absence, therein lies the opportunity for conflict, creativity, and growth.  And among other things, also the breakdown or building of Trust!

What is the difference between those two outcomes?

If we can so easily  become  vulnerable to see things differently, how often do we  understand the things we hear differently from intended?   Or how often do  two or more of us  hear   the same things, and walk away with a different understanding of what was said?

How often do we take the time to look at things through the other person’s lenses, and make a sincere effort to try and understand what, why or how they see things? 

Empathy is a leadership competency.  Practice putting yourself in the other persons shoes, see it and hear it from where they stand, and see if you can find a common ground to build on.

Discovering clarity on our different perspectives increases our understanding, capacity and ability to find the best solutions and outcomes for whatever we are trying to do.

If you think that is important, how might we make achieving clarity a shared responsibility?

Please join our conversation, we welcome your perspective. Where do you stand on this?