The Ethical Dimension of

Project Management

Hildur Helgadttir, MPM

Landsptali Reykjavk
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The Ethical Dimension of Project

Management
Hildur Helgadttir 2007

AbstractThe focus of project management has traditionally

been on developing new methods to run projects efficiently;
within the time schedule and on budget while not compromising
on quality. In later years the focus has shifted more towards
leadership issues because there is growing consensus that the
greatest challenge in project management is managing people.
As project management evolves it is faced with all the
debating into the project managers toolbox.
A comprehensive review of the literature is followed by an
action oriented approach where project management
assignments of 32 MPM students were investigated before,
during and after an intensive course in ethics and leadership

www.mpm.is

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Health care and ethics
Nurses The Hippocratic oath
Physicians
Physical therapists
Psychologists
Social workers
Dentists
Midwifes
Nutritionists
Occupational
therapists
etc

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Project Management
Performance

Cost Time

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Meredith&Mantel, 5th ed, p.65
Risk analysis does not remove the
ambiguity, it simply describes the
uncertainties in a way that provides
the decision maker with a useful
insight into their nature

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New version ...

Ethical risk analysis does not
remove the ambiguity, it simply
describes the uncertainties in a way
that provides the decision maker with
a useful insight into their nature

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 MPM program Conceptual
framework

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Why ethics and project

management?
The objectives of the project,
The stakeholders,
The risks,
The project team
The effect of the project on people,
organizations, environment, politics,
power, warfare, equality, freedom
and prosperity
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Assumption
The modern day, well educated and
responsible project manager must
possess the knowledge and skills to
be able to discern and debate ethical
issues

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Question
Which teaching methods might prove
useful in order to help incorporate the
skills of ethical thinking and debating
into the project managers toolbox?

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Literature review
[6] Gido J, Clements JP. Successful project management. Mason, OH: Thomson/South-Western, 2006.
[7] Kerzner H. Project management : a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2003.
[8] Lock D. The essentials of project management. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Pub., 2007.
[9] Project Management Institute. A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide). Newtown Square, Pa.: Project
Management Institute., 2004.
[10] PMI Member Ethical Standards. Project Management Institute, 2006.
[11] Caupin C, Knpfel H, Koch G, Pannenbacker K, Prez-Polo F, Seabury C. IPMA Competence Baseline Version 3.0. Nijkerk: IPMA,
Nijkirk, 2006.
[12] Fangel M, editor Competencies in Project Management - National Competence Baseline for Scandinavia. Denmark: Associations of
Project Management in Denmark, Norway and Sweden., 2005.
[13] Humphreys KK. What every engineer should know about ethics. New York: Marcel Dekker, 1999.
[14] Fisher K, Lobaugh M, Parente D. An Assessment of Desired "Business Knowledge Attributes" for Engineering Technology Graduates.
Journal of Engineering Technology 2006;23:10-15.
[15] Pantazidou M, Nair I. Ethic of care: Guiding principles for engineering teaching and practice. Journal of Engineering Education
1999;88:205-212.
[16] Loui MC. Ethics and the development of professional identities of engineering students. Journal of Engineering Education
2005;94:383-390.
[17] Goddard DL. Teaching why accuracy and clarity are ethics issues. Journal of Engineering Education 2001;90:119-121.
[18] Xiaojin W. Developing a true sense of professional community: An important matter for PM professionalism. Project Management
Journal 2002;33:5-11.
[19] Kloppenborg TJ, Petrick JA. Leadership in project life cycle and team character development. Project Management Journal 1999;30:8-
13.

[20] Nicolo E. Fundamentals of the total ethical-risk

analysis method (TERAmethod) with a study of crucial
problems in managing distributed multimedia. International
Journal of Project Management 1996;14:153-162.
[21] Gorman M, Hertz M, Louis G, Magpili L, Mauss M, Mehalik M, Tuttle JB. Integrating ethics and engineering: A graduate option in
systems engineering, ethics, and technology studies. Journal of Engineering Education 2000;89:461-469.
[22] Loo R. Tackling ethical dilemmas in project management using vignettes. International Journal of Project Management 2002;20:489-
495.
[23] Reidenbach RE, Robin DP. Toward the Development of a Multidimensional Scale for Improving Evaluations of Business Ethics. Journal
of Business Ethics 1990;9:639-653.

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The group
First year MPM students
College education, considerable work
experience

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Teaching ethics in PM step 1
Pick several ethics theories that
highlight different ways of discussing
ethical issues, taking ethical stands
and making decisions based on a
theoretical framework

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Teaching ethics in PM step 2

Use ethical dilemmas or vignettes to
stimulate the discussion and
highlight different possible
approaches to making a decision

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Teaching ethics in PM step 3
Ethical dissection of project plans

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Step 1
Pick several ethics theories that
highlight different ways of thinking
about ethical issues, taking ethical
stands and making decisions based
on a theoretical framework

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Step 2
Use ethical dilemmas or vignettes to
stimulate the discussion and
highlight different possible
approaches to making a decision

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Ethical dilemma

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Step 3
Ethical dissection of project plans

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 Hildur Helgadttir - Nordnet 2007 21

PM dilemmas

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PM vignette - example
John is a project manager for developing a website
for a new financial company John develops a
project plan and presents it to the board which then
approves the plan except for the part pertaining to
access for the blind and visually impaired. it is
highly unlikely that this group has money to invest
John is upset over this attitude; he himself has a
blind son and is well aware of legislation banning
discrimination against minority groups. which does
not include this The board tells him that he is free
to do the necessary work at his own expense. What
are Johns options?

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Recommendations
1. Teaching students to analyze their
own work from an ethical perspective
by providing them with a conceptual
framework is an effective, valuable
hands-on-experience that students
enjoy and find helpful and
enlightening

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Recommendations
2. Having students develop their own
vignettes or ethical dilemmas based
on their various experiences seems
to be an avenue that needs more
exploring

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Recommendations
3. Professional project management
associations should develop ethical
codes and guidelines and provide
educational opportunities in ethics

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Recommendations
4. Academic PM programmes need to
design innovative ways to add ethical
competence to the project managers
toolbox

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Recommendations
5. Risk analysis tools need to be
expanded to allow for ethical risk
analysis

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Thank you!

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