Running head: IT 301 UNIT 9 ASSIGNMENT 1

Unit 9-2 Assignment

IT301 Project Management

When speaking of project management, the following comes to mind: performance, teams, communication, monitoring, workflow, stakeholders, and collaboration. But not everyone thinks of ethics, yet this is one of the most important aspects of project management. According to the Project Management Institute, “Ethics is about making the best possible decisions concerning people, resources and the environment. Ethical choices diminish risk, advance positive results, increase trust, determine long term success and build reputations”[ CITATION Bil161 \l 1033 ].

Project Management Institute has established a Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct specifically for project management and all members must adhere to it. The values behind this code are honesty, responsibility, respect, and fairness[ CITATION Pro19 \l 1033 ]. Project management deals with decisions daily. That’s the premise of the job. Not all decisions are noticed, and some are a lot more involved. With extensive decisions comes conflict, and this is where ethics comes into play on “how to do it best”[ CITATION Pro19 \l 1033 ]. Too many situations can arise with human error so a code of ethics can help keep the project management and the project manager on track.

As a project manager it is important to not only enforce but adhere to that code of ethics. Personally, my top three would be honesty, responsibility, and respect. Honesty is number one because it increases trust with the project management team, trust with your vendors, and trust with the stakeholders. This, in turn, improves the business relationships overall. Responsibility is also important as it can help maintain fair decision making, promotes professionalism, and improves morality and behavior. Finally, respect is an important factor in that it also improves business relationships, provides more success with the project management team, reduces the anxiety and stress that can come with projects, and helps maintain accountability[ CITATION Moi17 \l 1033 ].

Project managers deal with a lot of cultural diversity especially if their projects are with people overseas. Multiculturalism in the 21^st century is on the rise as the world is becoming a smaller place due to improvements in technology and communication. Project managers must prepare themselves and their team members when dealing with other cultures that differ from their own country. Factors to pay attention to and learn can include accents, silence, gestures, and eye contact[ CITATION Obi02 \l 1033 ]. These are just communication factors but are just as important to learn about different countries when communicating with people. Accents can also mean words are written differently in English. Silence is a large factor for countries such as India and Japan. Silence is viewed very differently in these countries versus the US. We view silence as lack of communication whereas these countries revere it. Gestures are crucial as certain gestures in the US that are considered the norm can be insulting in other countries. Strong eye contact is a gesture of respect and listening in the US, but in other countries like Nigeria looking down is a sign of respect[ CITATION Obi02 \l 1033 ].

Our morals and sense of conscience are what separate the humans from the animals. Ethical behavior reflects those morals and is critical in project management success. Every project manager and business leader should strive to a higher ethical standard in all of their environments.

References

Alexander, M. (2017, January 24). The importance of being ethical in project management. Retrieved from TechRepublic: https://www.techrepublic.com/article/the-importance-ofbeing-ethical-in-project-management/

Khan, B. (2016, November 23). Project Management Ethics - an essential ingredient in project leadership. Retrieved from Planisware: https://www.planisware.com/hub/article/projectmanagement-ethics-an-essential-ingredient-in-project-leadership

Obikunle, O. (2002). Dealing with cultural diversity in project management. Retrieved from PMI: https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/dealing-cultural-diversity-projectmanagement-129

Project Management Institute. (2019). Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct. Retrieved from

PMI: https://www.pmi.org/about/ethics/code