Being Fair as a PM – A View to Ethics
Fairness is one of the values cited in the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Code of Ethics. To satisfy this requirement, perspective-taking is necessary.
Fairness is not something you can judge for yourself. What you believe to be fair may not seem fair to someone else. To overcome this, as project managers, we need to be transparent in our decision-making process and our actions.
According to PMI, “Fairness is our duty to make decisions and act impartially and objectively. Our conduct must be free from competing self-interest, prejudice, and favoritism.”??
There are two primary considerations of Fairness. The first is Avoiding Conflict of Interest Situations. An example of avoiding a Conflict of Interest is disclosing any actual or potential conflicts of interest you may have regarding a vendor in a competitive bid situation.? For instance, is the vendor a distant relative, or are you a vendor shareholder?? It’s always best to share potential conflicts with management and let them determine if a Conflict of Interest exists.? If one exists, someone else should work with the vendor when making decisions.? Most importantly, if you don’t think you can be impartial, ask someone else to fulfill your role to avoid a perceived conflict of interest.
The second consideration is Avoiding Favoritism and Discrimination. In the competitive bid situation I discussed earlier, you should ensure you work with 2 or 3 vendors to obtain quotes and select the vendor that provides the best value for money.? The selection process should be void of nepotism, bribery, and personal considerations or preferences.?
Most organizations have a discrimination policy that should be followed during day-to-day project management activities. When in doubt, ask someone for advice. You should also ensure your team is aware of the policy. Discrimination can seep into our everyday actions if we are not aware of its nuances. For example, you might unconsciously assign high-visibility or technically challenging tasks to younger team members, assuming they are more tech-savvy. Similarly, prejudice could creep into decision-making. For example, you might think more positively about a team member who grew up in the same city or attended the same university.
It's easy to assume you THINK you are being fair; however, be aware of how your actions could be perceived. You don’t want to leave an impression that things weren’t fair, so always examine your motives and decision-making processes.
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PMI Multi-Chapter Webinar
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New Course
I have been so excited about the release of this course that Christina Charenkova and I have put together. AI-Powered Agile: Strategies for Modern Project Managers
Technology in the age of AI is advancing so quickly it’s hard to keep up. That’s why incorporating agile methods on a project can be so valuable in all the right ways—helping you deliver better, faster, more effective outcomes and boosting engagement across teams. In this course, instructors Bob McGannon and Christina Charenkova show you how to leverage AI and agile in tandem to address and manage agile delivery, team construction, the agile mindset, organizational structures, and successful organizational change. From requirements gathering, staffing a team, and running retrospectives, to ensuring your team has the right skill sets and collaborative tools, this course is ideal for project managers and team leaders who are interested in learning how to integrate the power of agile and AI, using AI-driven strategies for organizational change management.
Check it out! AI-Powered Agile: Strategies for Modern Project Managers
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Additional thoughts can be found in my project management and outsourcing classes on LinkedIn Learning, including:
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This article is part of Bob’s Reflections newsletter series, which discusses project management, outsourcing, and “intelligent disobedience”, a leadership approach. If you want more of this content, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article is posted.
Want to learn more about the topics I talk about in these newsletters? Watch my courses in the LinkedIn Learning Library or check out https://intelligentdisobedience.com/
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