Introduction
In the process of designing and implementing projects, some ethical issues are faced by the project managers on a daily basis. If such ethical issues are not dealt with effectively with solutions, the efficiency of project implementation becomes reduced significantly. Ethical issues relate to how team members develop and sustain a good working relationship with each other and vary in the type of project and the region involved. There are no existing hard and fast rules that act as directives to solutions when ethical challenges arise. Therefore, professionals need to apply both leadership and entrepreneurial skills to resolve ethical issues that face the management of projects. This essay highlights the concept of ethics, ethical issues in project management, the role of the professional and ethical decision making in project management.
The concept of ethics in project management
Each day, many decisions act as the driving force behind the management of projects. Some decisions are small in nature and may barely be noticed while others are major. Some decisions call for deep thinking as they factor in individuals, project resources, as well as the environment of operation (Walker, 2014). The mentioned factors may conflict in the course of running the project, therefore, causing conflicts or dilemmas that may consequently result in significant risks for the project. Project managers are mainly expected to have the knowledge of how best to handle such dilemmas, upon their occurrence. However, it may not be easy to come up with solutions to such conflicts especially if the interests of the stakeholders working on the given project are conflicting as stated by Mishra, Dangayach, & Mittal (2011).
Ethics in the management of projects has to do with decisions that are law abiding, prevent corruption and do not allow business practices that are dubious (Mishra, Dangayach, & Mittal, 2011). Apart from only focusing on the maximization of profits from the projects of concern, the managers, as well as the team members, need to ensure that their ethical and corporate social responsibilities are fulfilled by being good citizens. Walker (2014) explained that the general ethical issues that face projects include; biases, blaming others, employing people who are not qualified, making deals that are not straight forward, and, ignoring standards of health and safety. The violation of the fundamental right of the persons working on the implementation of a project also constitutes a major issue of ethical concern in project management.
Broadly, the violation of project values and code of conduct constitute behavior that is not ethical as further stated by Moylan & Walker (2012). Additionally, projects managers that are astute play the role of acting as guides to other team members by being ethical in their behavior and are involved in the process of planning, executing and controlling the involved processes. By being role models in setting behavior that is ethical, leaders can, therefore, reinforce the values and expectations of the organization through good leadership, commitment, and developing enthusiasm (Moylan, 2015). Additionally, in the current age of specialization, ensuring ethical conduct within a project may become a hard task because the manager faces workers that have a disciplinary focus that is not wide. Such is because the ethical environment of a project is influenced by the professionals who work on it through their behavior (Moylan, 2015).
Chosen project: The effect of constructing a Railway line through a wildlife habitat.
The ethical issues involved.
The construction of a railway line or any other structures through a wildlife habitat ought to be conducted in a manner that is responsible so that adverse impacts on the environment are minimized. Such projects also need to strive to enhance the integrity of cultures of the local people that reside within the areas that host the projects. Such projects evidently pose a threat to ecotourism. Therefore, environmental and cultural factors need to be evaluated. Promoting recycling activities as well as and procedures that ensure that energy is efficiently used, plus the creation of economic opportunities for local communities as well as water conservation come into play (Moroń et al., 2014). The ethical issues involved include wildlife conservation and animal welfare, economic prospects, environmental destruction, and local community involvement.
Discussion of the Ethical Issues
Wildlife Conservation and animal welfare
A total of 9% of the world’s gross domestic product is accounted for by tourism, translating into an average of 1.1 billion tourists visiting various parts of the globe each year (Moorhouse et al., 2015). Furthermore, 20%-40% of global tourism arises from visits that are made to wildlife tourist attraction sites as explained by (Moorhouse et al., 2015). However, studies that audit such tourist attraction sites and how they impact on the status of conservation and the welfare of the involved animals are widely lacking. On the other hand, the construction of a railway line may be viewed by many as a chance for economic development, even if it is done in areas that act as habitats for wild animals. Also, such construction activities may be welcome as they are considered sources of employment for the local surrounding communities.
Wildlife may thus cease to be considered as a long-term source of income. Ethical issues arise because it may seem difficult to weigh the benefits and risks of the construction and tourism over each other. According to Paquet & Darimont (2010), Human activity has seriously impaired ecological conditions all over the world. Such impairment is because humans have continuously disregarded animals as a result of the lack of moral guidance with constitutes a lack of ethics (Paquet & Darimont, 2010). Project managers, therefore, need to give a serious and keen consideration to animal welfare when choosing the sites for the implementation of their projects.
Economic prospects
Both railway construction and wildlife conservation have the potential of contributing significantly to the economic development of a region. An ethical dilemma arises because of the need to choose one activity over the other in relation to long-term profitability. Evidently, humans and wildlife compete for similar environmental conditions because of the need for survival by both species (Paquet & Darimont, 2010). Therefore, construction activities that are conducted within animal habitats may be viewed as being both economically viable and detrimental, resulting in a conflict of interests. As stated by Adnan et al., (2011) such uncertainties may lead to the waste of resources that are public, missed opportunities for development, and an unstable environment for business activities.
Environmental destruction
Issues that relate to environmental conservation concerning the built environment concern themselves with the corporate social responsibility of any project. The project needs to include strategies that mitigate climate change as well as predict future conditions of climate change (Gray, 2011). The management of water that includes drainage and the conservation of water sources also constitute a crucial aspect of the ethical issues that relate to the environment. In this example, the project manager needs to consider how the project will alter the environment with consideration given to the expected effects on both the wildlife and the surrounding communities.
Gray (2011), states that any moral system that does not have the ability to protect animals from environmental harm is widely flawed. Naturally, people would tend to think that only human beings deserve protection from environmental dangers, thereby raising an important issue of ethical consideration.
Local community involvement
For the success of any project, the local community should be in support of the planned implementation. A successful project planning phase must seek to engage with the community as the future stakeholders at a local scale and potentially at the global level (Gray, 2011). The impacts that a project may have on the local level include the creation of employment, the creation of opportunities for training, as well as partnerships. It is, therefore, critical to consider issues that relate to communities that are sustainable and the potential impacts that the construction activities may present. Also, Gray (2011) explained that sustainable projects are those that involve both the public and private sectors to help with economic profitability and enhance positive relationships among many stakeholder groups.
Factoring the ethical issues into decision-making
An organizational culture that encourages and puts emphasis on the importance of ethics is important in the making of decisions that are ethically upright. Therefore, factoring in the above ethical concerns in the construction industry will require extensive stakeholder dialogue, rewarding behavior that is ethical, and training in ethics as stated by Bowen (2004). Therefore, the decisions made before the implementation of the railway construction need to consider the conservation as well as the welfare of the animals such that the outcomes do not result in adverse consequences for the animals. Also, prospect studies done from an economic standpoint should be carried out to find out the most economically viable and sustainable manner in which the construction may vet implemented focusing on both long-term and short-term consequences. Furthermore, the local community should be involved in the planning of the building as a corporate social responsibility of any project.
The local community plays an important role in providing insights on how best hey think that the project should run so that the outcomes are not detrimental to their lives. Furthermore, the implementation of the project needs to factor in decisions that are meant to protect both wild animals and human beings from adverse effects of environmental degradation. Factoring in the above ethical issues calls for an intricate balance between the actions of the project and the potential impacts of the acts on the individuals, the wildlife, and the organization.
The role of the professional engineer
According to Evans, Levitt, & Henning (2012), the role of the professional engineer would first involve self-awareness as a supervisor of the project. Self-awareness is the key to the implementation of projects that need making decisions that are ethical. Self-awareness factors in the professional’s individual experiences, development within the career, and the system of operation, responsibilities, and the value systems. Such personal attributes are important for the professional to make decisions based on past experiences in an attempt to not repeat past mistakes. Additionally, the professional needs to be a critical thinker so that the decisions made are evidenced based with a moral basis.
Such moral basis will, in turn, lead to decisions that concern people, resources, and the environment as explained by Adnan et al., (2011). The professional also has the responsibility of using a teamwork approach so that the decisions that are made mitigate risks, advance results that are positive, increase trust, and build reputations. The professional also plays the role of a project mentor by helping other team members with ethical decision making. Adnan et al., (2011) also stated that moral decisions should result in harm to the least number of people possible because it is impossible to make decisions that are pleasing to everyone. The professional engineer would, therefore, ensure that the decisions that are made favor the desires of the most number of individuals possible.
Consequences of decision making in the absence of an “ethical compass”
Zeiger (2016) explained that the effects of decisions that are not ethical could take several dimensions that include legal issues which further translate to suits, the performance of employees, employee relations, and the credibility of a project. Unethical decisions result in the breaking of laws that may bring about legal battles that are costly to the project. Furthermore, criminal charges may result from continuous unethical decisions that result in practices that are harmful. Also, the performance of employees becomes affected because they become concerned with the need for making money as opposed to concentrating on procedures and protocols.
Furthermore, project managers that do not participate in ethical behavior face the risk of losing respect from other project members. Such a loss of respect may collapse the project because it becomes difficult to lead individuals who have lost respect for their leader (Zeiger 2016). Also, project credibility is lost when it becomes public knowledge that ethical decisions do not drive its operations.
Conclusion
The focus of decision making that is deemed to be ethical, in project management, is to ensure that the objectives of the particular project are met following the best course of action. Ethical reasoning plays a significant role in the project planning phase and should, therefore, ought to be conducted and communicated effectively to project stakeholders. The role of the project leader is to ensure that all the operations of the project are ethical in nature. Also, the leader should mentor other project stakeholders to ensure that everyone’s conduct is ethical. The consequences of unethical decisions result in the project not achieving its objectives.
References
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