Was on PMI's Ethics page looking to download a copy of the EDMF I'd accidentally deleted from my desktop and noticed a Public Announcement at the bottom of the page. The link led me to the Ethics Review Committee's (ERC) public reprimand of three PMs for violating the ethics code.
It is never good news to hear of ethics violations, but I was pleasantly surprised that ethics complaints are in fact seriously investigated by the ERC. This is the first time in my career (15 years) I've ever seen any sort of action taken following an ethics complaint.
In the last decade (2008-2018) the ERC has issued only 4 public reprimands. Yet, today (2019) I see 3 public reprimands. This could just be due to the nature of the violations and how the ERC chose to address them.
But, my brain keeps wondering if public admonishment is influenced by the current state of political affairs in the United States?
Has anyone else read the newspaper and thought - "If they aren't going to be held to any standard, at least I can hold myself to one!"
The PMI publication "Navigating Complexity: A Practice Guide" lists Human Behavior as ".. a source of complexity that occurs from the interplay of conducts, demeanors, and attitudes of people."
Personal attitudes seems like something that could be influenced by external political forces.
So my question - is this uptick in public reprimands by the ERC influenced by external political events?
Is this just a reflection of our profession adjusting to changing times? Saving Changes...
Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
Most if not all professions define their own jurisdiction handling ethics violations, which includes AACE, AMA (doctors), lawyers, journalists, and PMI. They normally sanction within their boundaries and do not go to public courts, except if a certain violation of their Code of Ethics also violates a law in a country.
PMI is active in probably all countries (since we have PMPs in all countries), so binding the Ethics jurisdiction to public law is not achievable, since every country has its own distinct legislation.
An ethical standard of a profession like honesty to customers would not be enforceable in public law, but it may be sanctionable within a professional body. Saving Changes...
Luis BrancoCEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, LdªCarcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Dear Conrad Interesting your question Thanks for sharing
There is another possibility: the prevailing culture versus Principles and Values that integrate PMI's code of ethics
I've heard of ethical flexibility I believe it integrates the dominant culture
