The world is in throes of the Coronavirus pandemic as of now with 100 countries across continents impacted on all fronts. The business across the globe have come to a grinding halt with imposition of lock-down by nations. As the time goes by and new research kicks in with vaccine and testing measures, the onslaught of the infection will reduce and the face of the current situation will change from a pandemic to endemic.
However given how we are tuning ourselves to operate in this lockdown there is a new face of managing projects that is emerging. Online platforms for schooling, coursework, business work and more. People are finding (forced to find!) advantages and disadvantages in this new model of working and discovering strategies to optimize their work and reap benefits or at least stay afloat hoping this virtual work will transform into the once "normal" way of operating that they had.
Given this, there are newer challenges around ethical ways of working that are likely to emerge which were never thought through. Are there any that you think are newer challenges in the new world in/during/after Coronavirus that would impact our professional dynamics in project management?
Would like to know your thoughts... Saving Changes...
Simona BonghezManaging Partner| Colors in Projects ltdBucharest, Romania
Dear Deepa, thank you for making me reflecting on this. I'm confronted more and more these days with something I would connect with Fairness: some of us were forced to fully change the way they work, communicate, collaborate. Nevertheless, the expectation is - from many of the managers or clients - that everyone maintains his/her previous level of performance. Profoundly wrong expectation: this is a major change and people need time to accommodate it. We will certainly regain our level of productivity and performance, maybe even increase it, but it is fair to acknowledge that the circumstances are new and unexpected, and we all need time to "digest it" first :)
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1 reply by Dr. Deepa Bhide
Apr 05, 2020 10:19 AM
Dr. Deepa Bhide
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Simona, I completely agree with you. Along with fairness, I also see Transparency as one more are to reflect on. How do we maintain this in the face of virtual teams or what clients need or expect.
I agree with you that we all need to digest this situation well - backed by data if possible and then see the change that is taking place or will need to be the new normal.
Chaos presents opportunities both good and bad. An example of an unethical decision would be using fiscal constraints as the catalyst for getting rid of staff who don't think/look/act like we do.
Kiron
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1 reply by Dr. Deepa Bhide
Apr 05, 2020 9:46 AM
Dr. Deepa Bhide
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Kiron, I agree with you. A similar example in healthcare would be working on allocation of essential supplies to healthcare workers in face of constraints - who to prioritize and who not to.
Saving Changes...
Ganesh KumarProgram ManagerBangalore., Karnataka, India
Hi Deepa - The last four weeks, in the new world order, am witnessing a gamut of discussions which would not have come up - had it not been for the WFH. Though WFH as a concept is already in place, but for an entire organization to be in WFH mode, is creating several discussions of disharmony. How will the clients be charged, entire contractual hours, or lesser hours considering its wfh. Management expecting - people to leverage time, work on public holidays and not give compensation, since its wfh anyways. Clients on the contrary considering cutting manhours since there is no supervision and wfh. People - reporting incorrect manhours. Submitting deliverables without quality checks - burning manhours. In the normal discourse this would not have been the case, but the unprecedented chaos has split and divided, teams and thoughts alike.
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1 reply by Dr. Deepa Bhide
Apr 05, 2020 9:49 AM
Dr. Deepa Bhide
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Ganesh, absolutely and I am sure this resonates with many of us who are readers to this discussion. Should there be any changes in the contractual clauses to ensure such situations are taken care of?
Will this entire organization-wide WFH continue for the most part? Or how much will the relaxation be to this order of working?
So many things to consider..
Saving Changes...
Luis BrancoCEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, LdªCarcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Dear Deepa Interesting your question Thanks for sharing
I am convinced that the Principles that govern humanity are universal.
Behaviors change.
There are people who respect and act in line with the Principles and others do not
I think that respect and ethics are going to be very difficult in the digital age because people are not face to face
What can be our role? 1. Find people who are world references 2. Use these people as references 3. Helping others to discover their voice that will, of course, be aligned with the Principles
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1 reply by Dr. Deepa Bhide
Apr 05, 2020 10:12 PM
Dr. Deepa Bhide
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Hi Luis, thank you. I agree with you on finding those references but wonder who would those be? how will we, as project managers, view them to be "ethically correct" given the context we are going to evolve in.
Chaos presents opportunities both good and bad. An example of an unethical decision would be using fiscal constraints as the catalyst for getting rid of staff who don't think/look/act like we do.
Kiron
Kiron, I agree with you. A similar example in healthcare would be working on allocation of essential supplies to healthcare workers in face of constraints - who to prioritize and who not to. Saving Changes...
Hi Deepa - The last four weeks, in the new world order, am witnessing a gamut of discussions which would not have come up - had it not been for the WFH. Though WFH as a concept is already in place, but for an entire organization to be in WFH mode, is creating several discussions of disharmony. How will the clients be charged, entire contractual hours, or lesser hours considering its wfh. Management expecting - people to leverage time, work on public holidays and not give compensation, since its wfh anyways. Clients on the contrary considering cutting manhours since there is no supervision and wfh. People - reporting incorrect manhours. Submitting deliverables without quality checks - burning manhours. In the normal discourse this would not have been the case, but the unprecedented chaos has split and divided, teams and thoughts alike.
Ganesh, absolutely and I am sure this resonates with many of us who are readers to this discussion. Should there be any changes in the contractual clauses to ensure such situations are taken care of?
Will this entire organization-wide WFH continue for the most part? Or how much will the relaxation be to this order of working?
So many things to consider..
...
1 reply by Ganesh Kumar
Apr 06, 2020 2:57 AM
Ganesh Kumar
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Yes, Deepa – with the new test case – everything will be discussed and negotiated threadbare. Good part is, it will bring clarity, particular way of conduct and decorum, and opportunity as well.
Dear Deepa, thank you for making me reflecting on this. I'm confronted more and more these days with something I would connect with Fairness: some of us were forced to fully change the way they work, communicate, collaborate. Nevertheless, the expectation is - from many of the managers or clients - that everyone maintains his/her previous level of performance. Profoundly wrong expectation: this is a major change and people need time to accommodate it. We will certainly regain our level of productivity and performance, maybe even increase it, but it is fair to acknowledge that the circumstances are new and unexpected, and we all need time to "digest it" first :)
Simona, I completely agree with you. Along with fairness, I also see Transparency as one more are to reflect on. How do we maintain this in the face of virtual teams or what clients need or expect.
I agree with you that we all need to digest this situation well - backed by data if possible and then see the change that is taking place or will need to be the new normal.
Thanks Saving Changes...
George FreemanThought Leader | Author | Architect| Florida, United States
Hi Deepa,
When stay-at-home orders get lifted, and individuals start returning to work in mass, companies are likely to be confronted with new legal and ethical challenges related to worker’s protection. In other words, what we considered normal interactions in the past would, for some, become “unsafe working conditions.”
Even when companies implement governmental recommendations for social distancing in the workplace, an individual’s emotional tolerance for in-person interaction (post-crisis) is likely to conflict with the new standard or the companies interpretation of that standard. So, when there is a conflict in this area, does the company respect the worker’s concern and provide accommodation, or do they make it an issue of performance?
For instance, imagine the need for a meeting/workshop where you would normally pull teams together to challenge-out a solution to a critical problem in a conference room. What dynamics could change:
Conference Room – pre crisis:
- Shoulder to shoulder seating, confined space for even one presenter, little air circulation, etc.
- Shared equipment/devices (e.g., whiteboard markers, digital pens, switches, microphones, speakers, phones, video, etc.)
- Elevated conversations due to vesting in the topic (e.g., air particles expelled from ones mouth, with the rate of emission corresponding to voice loudness)
Conference Room – possible post-crisis:
- 1/3 of the seating available, Masks being worn with possible distortion of voice.
- The impracticality of having closed-room meetings with large groups.
- Lack of functional focus in a meeting, as concern is to “being exposed.”
- Lack of participation as some team members opted out due to an unsafe environment (even with mitigation measures).
- With the above, resolving challenges is going to become more complicated, thus possibly impacting the forward movement of projects.
Regardless of mitigation measures, there will be some who will understandably not be comfortable in group in-person meetings. How are we going to define what is “right and wrong” conduct in this new environment? What will constitute a “dangerous work environment.” For instance, would “speaking enthusiastically” become a physical offense – although bizarre, not beyond one’s interpretation, understanding the dynamics of air expulsion from one’s mouth.
Okay, maybe the above is extreme. However, I believe there will be many areas that we considered normal interaction (in the past) that will now have an “ethical working environment” consequence.
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1 reply by Dr. Deepa Bhide
Apr 05, 2020 10:20 PM
Dr. Deepa Bhide
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Great thought George and a contemporary example too. I do see an impact on the meetings (as one example) and question the outcome as would be. On the same lines, a few things
1. Woudl most meeting be virtual? how productive would these virtual meetings be?
2. Would we do a different expectation setting in the meetings and reset the project thermostat?
3. If we do get a permission for x number of people for a face to face meeting, who will define who the essential people be?
4. For those who are attending the face to face meeting, would a prior testing for coronavirus be needed or made mandatory?
Many more come to my mind and I am sure will be answered as we move forward...
Saving Changes...
Jeff BattagliaSr Instructional Designer| CubicCasselberry, Fl, United States
There will always be ethical conundrums in every business venture. They unfortunately cannot be stopped because people simply make a mistake, get caught up in the moment, or , unfortunately, there are just some unethical people that are only interested in making a quick buck. This pandemic is no different as I've heard reports of dozens of fake virus testing kits being confiscated in California. Even if people try to do the right thing, there is always going to be someone out there that wants to do the wrong thing.
But this pandemic has taught me a few things in dealing with prospective partners. First, you need to look at the history of the person or company you are looking to partner with. What is their reputation in the business community? How do their former employees/partners value the business? And the new question to ask is how did they support their community in this time of crisis?
I also believe that some good will come out of this pandemic, and that will be more flexible options for corporations. Many businesses that didn't offer the work from home option before, but are now forced to in order to comply with Stay at Home orders are finding it to be more economical. They are starting to realize that they don't need to have that business space for everyone to work in a single spot. This will save on rent, electricity, office supplies and furnishings. But it will also rely on the ethical nature of the employees:
1. Are the people who claim to work 40 hours a week at home really working those 40 hours, or are they making their presence known and then going out to play golf?
2. Is the amount of work getting done in the same time as it would have been if it was done in the office and with the same quality?
3. Do the companies need to install keystroke loggers to ensure the employees are not using company resources from home for their own benefit?
That last question could be considered an ethical conundrum as well...is it for the safety and stability of the company or is it Big Brother watching you. In my opinion it is not an invasion of privacy because it's not my equipment. It belongs to my company. However, if this was policy, I also feel it needs to be disclosed.
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1 reply by Dr. Deepa Bhide
Apr 05, 2020 10:27 PM
Dr. Deepa Bhide
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Jeff, I agree with you. I especially like the way you have stated the support to the community part. The reputation of the companies is being tested on how effectively they are able to support their clients and employees. Its in such crisis that the companies can be innovative in coming up with processes that are a win-win (partners, clients, employees and of course the Big Brother!).
Some ethical conundrums will exist but like you said, if the companies, take a holistic view of what are the likely changes on the most frequent, most valuable and most challenging situations, they will be covered for 80% of their need to stay afloat albeit with a different and it could be positive.
I agree with the consideration of measuring employee productivity and positioning it as a micro (read nano) managing which may not go well with the employees. Setting the right expectations upfront will help.
The pandemic is not over yet and more and more disruptions are likely to emerge - viewing them as opportunities and not risks will be critical
Dear Deepa Interesting your question Thanks for sharing
I am convinced that the Principles that govern humanity are universal.
Behaviors change.
There are people who respect and act in line with the Principles and others do not
I think that respect and ethics are going to be very difficult in the digital age because people are not face to face
What can be our role? 1. Find people who are world references 2. Use these people as references 3. Helping others to discover their voice that will, of course, be aligned with the Principles
Hi Luis, thank you. I agree with you on finding those references but wonder who would those be? how will we, as project managers, view them to be "ethically correct" given the context we are going to evolve in.
Any examples?
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1 reply by Luis Branco
Apr 06, 2020 12:08 PM
Luis Branco
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Dear Deepa:
We can use some universally accepted references: - Nelson Mandela - Ghandi - Aung San Suu Kyi
We may not be people like the ones I mentioned, but we can be inspired by them
