From the course: Project Management Foundations: Ethics

Behaving with aspirational fairness

From the course: Project Management Foundations: Ethics

Behaving with aspirational fairness

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- Fairness is a crucial part of ethical behavior. In a prior video, we discussed the PMI Mandatory standards for the fairness ethical value. Now, let's discuss the approaches you can take to demonstrate aspirational levels of fairness on your project. The key here, fairness is more than just treating everyone equally. The PMI aspirational standards for fairness are demonstrate transparency in the decision-making process; constantly reexamine our impartiality and objectivity; provide equal access to information to those who are authorized; and make opportunities equally available to qualified candidates. Let's apply the scenario with Chad to the aspirational standards for fairness. Remember, Chad is seeking to justify a project and has a report that could help. However, that report contains confidential personnel information, and Chad has doubts about whether the report should have been shared with him. Chad needs to decide how to handle the contents of the report. Using the data from the report makes it likely his project will be approved. If Chad's going to use the data, he will need to reveal the source of the data, as transparency in a decision-making process is one of the key requirements of the fairness aspirational standards. Prior to completing the business case, he'd need to verify the data and inform the person who provided him the data that he will be using it to justify the project. Full end-to-end transparency is important to avoid surprises. In addition, he'd need to ensure the recipients of the business case have the authority to see the data he will be revealing. Depending upon Chad's corporate standards, this could prove to be problematic. Another question about fairness could be raised in this scenario. Is Chad being impartial and objective? Would he have discarded the report as being confidential information he wasn't entitled to if it didn't help him justify his project? We may never know this for certain, but the question is relevant. If you find impartiality and objectivity could be questioned, proceed very carefully. It would be so much easier for Chad to use the data from the report and not explain where he received the information. However, that would not support the aspirational standards of fairness for our profession. By upholding the fairness aspirational standards, Chad's reputation will be upheld and he can go home at night knowing he handled the personnel data with integrity and fairness. The lesson here, make sure you understand your organizational standards for data and information sharing. It's crucial if you are to uphold PMI's aspirational standards for fairness.

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