1. Chapter 13 Professional Responsibility
In your career as a project manager, you will come across many situations which will present themselves as ethical dilemmas.
Sometimes, you will find yourself in a situation in which choosing the ethical option or making the ethical decision will cause conflict on the project team.
You might also encounter a situation in which being ethical might put you in a difficult situation, whereas taking the unethical approach might seem easier and less threatening.
You need to understand that holding the PMP credential comes with the responsibility of acting in an ethical, upright, and professional manner all the time, without any excuses.
This chapter will present guidelines, best practices, and recommendations on not just preaching and teaching ethical behavior, but also practicing it.
With this background, let’s learn about professional responsibility.
PMP, CAPM, PgMP, PMI-SP , PMI-RMP, OPM3 and PMBOK  are registered marks of Project Management Institute, Inc
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2. Professional Responsibility
Areas covered
Integrity and professionalism
Contributing to Project Manager knowledge base
Enhancing individual competence
Interacting with team and stakeholders in a professional and co- operative manner
Approximately 30 questions in this area
Need to understand Project Management Professional Code of Conduct in below areas
Ethics
Legal Issues
Cultural Sensitivity
Managing Conflicts of Interest
This chapter focuses on the professional responsibility and ethical behavior of the project manager and the project team. The areas covered in this chapter are:
Ensuring integrity and professionalism
Contributing to the project manager knowledgebase
Enhancing individual competence
Interacting with the team and stakeholders in a professional and cooperative manner
There could be approximately 30 questions in this area on the exam.
You should understand the project management professional code of conduct in the following areas:
Ethics
Legal issues
Cultural sensitivity
Managing conflicts of interest
PMP, CAPM, PgMP, PMI-SP , PMI-RMP, OPM3 and PMBOK  are registered marks of Project Management Institute, Inc
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3. Professional Responsibility
Uphold, support integrity of profession
Actions should follow legal requirements and ethical standards
Consider needs of the stakeholders and society
Professional Responsibility means:
Do the right thing
Follow the right process
Act ethically, fairly and professionally
Report Violations
Watch for conflicts of interest or appearance of conflicts of interest
Increase knowledge and practice
Deal with problems
Professional responsibility entails acting upon the following guidelines:
All certified project managers are responsible to uphold and support the integrity and ethics of the project management profession.
All actions of the project manager and the project team should be in line with legal requirements and ethical standards
The needs of the stakeholders and the society are to be considered all the time.
Professional Responsibility means:
Doing the right thing
Following the right process
Acting ethically, fairly and professionally
Reporting violations
Watching for conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest
Increasing your knowledge and practice
Dealing with problems
PMP, CAPM, PgMP, PMI-SP , PMI-RMP, OPM3 and PMBOK  are registered marks of Project Management Institute, Inc
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4. Individual Integrity And Professionalism
Understand legal requirements
Know ethical standards related to behavior of project managers
Comprehend the values of community and stakeholders
Practice proper judgment
Comply with all organizational rules and policies
Always be truthful
Satisfy scope and objectives of professional services
Maintain confidentiality
Handle conflicts of interest
Individual integrity and professionalism entails keeping in mind and acting upon the following guidelines:
Understand the legal requirements surrounding the practice of projects.
Know the ethical standards that should govern the behavior of project managers and maintain strict adherence to these standards.
Comprehend the values of the community and various stakeholders.
Practice proper judgment in pursuit of successful project work.
Comply with all organizational rules and policies. This includes:
Reporting violations upon a reasonable and clear factual basis.
Disclosing circumstances that could be construed as a conflict of interest or appearance of impropriety
Providing accurate and truthful representations to the public.
Maintaining and satisfying scope and objectives of professional services
Maintaining confidentiality of sensitive information
Ensuring a conflict of interest does not compromise legitimate interests of client/customer or interfere with professional judgment
PMP, CAPM, PgMP, PMI-SP , PMI-RMP, OPM3 and PMBOK  are registered marks of Project Management Institute, Inc
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5. Individual Integrity And Professionalism
Follow copyright laws
Protect intellectual property
Personal gain vs. needs of project
No bribes
Respect
Do the right thing
Follow the right process
Report violations of laws, business policies, ethics and other rules
Follow and obey all copyright and other laws diligently
Protect and value intellectual property
Never place personal gain over the needs of the project
To ensure bribes are not given or accepted – Refrain from accepting bribes, inappropriate payments, compensation for personal gain unless in conformity with applicable laws or customs
Treat everyone with courtesy, respect, and professionalism
Do the right thing
Follow the right process
Report violations of laws, business policies, ethics and other rules
PMP, CAPM, PgMP, PMI-SP , PMI-RMP, OPM3 and PMBOK  are registered marks of Project Management Institute, Inc
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6. Contribution to Project Management Knowledge Base
Contribute to knowledge base
Share lessons learned
Write articles
Coach other Project Managers
Perform research
Understand principles
Understand community & media surrounding projects
Learn research strategies
Another responsibility of the project manager is to contribute to the project management knowledge base.
The Project Manager should contribute to Project Management Knowledge base by sharing lessons learned and best practices with appropriate communities. This process involves the following actions:
Sharing lessons learned with other Project Managers
Writing articles about Project Management
Coaching and/or mentoring other Project Managers
Performing research and discovering best practices for the use of Project Management and sharing results
Understanding of and adherence to project management principles
Understanding the community & media surrounding projects
Learning and applying the knowledge of research strategies available and proper communication techniques
PMP, CAPM, PgMP, PMI-SP , PMI-RMP, OPM3 and PMBOK  are registered marks of Project Management Institute, Inc
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7. Enhance Individual Competence
Understand project manager’s strengths, weaknesses and learning style-become aware of instructional processes and tools
Know the useful competencies for project managers and possible training
Be able to perform self-assessment and competencies development plan
Ability to apply lessons learned
The project manager should also seek to enhance her individual competence. Some points to keep in mind regarding this are:
Understand project manager’s strengths, weaknesses and learning style-become aware of instructional processes and tools
Know the useful competencies for project managers and possible training
Be able to perform self-assessment and competencies development plan
Ability to apply lessons learned
PMP, CAPM, PgMP, PMI-SP , PMI-RMP, OPM3 and PMBOK  are registered marks of Project Management Institute, Inc
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8. Balance Stakeholders Interest
Understand stakeholders interests
Recommend approaches
Get clear requirements early
Comprehend conflict resolution techniques
Resolve conflicts in a fair manner
Interact in a professional manner
Exercise negotiation skills
Uncover communication preferences
Uncovers different work ethics of team members
Provide training
Follow the practices in other countries
An important aspect of professionalism and integrity is balancing stakeholders’ interests. Follow these guidelines to ensure stakeholders’ interests are fulfilled:
Understand various competing stakeholders interests and needs
Balance stakeholders’ interests by recommending approaches that strive for fair resolution to satisfy competing needs and objectives
Work to get as clear and complete requirements as possible before starting project
Comprehend the conflict resolution techniques useful in handling differing objectives
Be able to resolve conflicts in a fair manner
Interact with team and stakeholders in a professional and co-operative manner
Exercise negotiation skills based on proper information
Uncover communication preferences when identifying stakeholders
Uncover and respect different work ethics and practices of team members
Provide training
Follow the practices in other countries as long as they do not violate the law
PMP, CAPM, PgMP, PMI-SP , PMI-RMP, OPM3 and PMBOK  are registered marks of Project Management Institute, Inc
Inov8Solutions Inc – Quality Educational Services For Professionals
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9. Inov8Solutions Inc – Quality Educational Services For Professionals
Cultural Differences
Cultural differences can mean:
Language
cultural values,
non-verbal actions and cultural practices
Do not only occur between people from different countries, but may also occur between people from the same country
Project Manager should:
Embrace diversity
Prevent cultural shock
Expect cultural differences to surface on the project
Use clear communications
Uncovers cultural differences when identifying stakeholders
Ask for clarification whenever a cultural difference arises
Discuss at team meetings
Cultural differences are inevitable when there are many people working on a project from different countries, cultures, backgrounds, and speaking many languages.
Cultural differences can mean:
Differences in language, cultural values, non-verbal actions and cultural practices
Do not only occur between people from different countries, but may also occur between people from the same country
Cultural differences can become an obstacle if not understood and not dealt with in a constructive manner. However, if cultural differences are understood, recognized, celebrated, and respected then cultural differences can be a powerful positive force on projects.
In order to bring out the best from cultural differences, the Project Manager should:
Embrace diversity
Prevent cultural shock
Expect cultural differences to surface on the project
Use clear communications to the right people and in the right form
Uncover cultural differences when identifying stakeholders
Ask for clarification whenever a cultural difference arises
Discusses the topic of cultural differences at most team meetings
PMP, CAPM, PgMP, PMI-SP , PMI-RMP, OPM3 and PMBOK  are registered marks of Project Management Institute, Inc
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10. Inov8Solutions Inc – Quality Educational Services For Professionals
Review Quiz
Jiang is a member of your project team and hails from China. He frequently has trouble understanding the other team members when they use slang terms. This is an example of:
A. Personality difference
B. Psychological difference
C. Cultural difference
D. Team Conflict
The correct answer if C.
This is an example of a cultural difference.
PMP, CAPM, PgMP, PMI-SP , PMI-RMP, OPM3 and PMBOK  are registered marks of Project Management Institute, Inc
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11. Inov8Solutions Inc – Quality Educational Services For Professionals
Virtual Teams
English: Hello
Japanese: Ohayou; konnichi wa
German: Hallo(informal), Guten Tag
French: Salut, Bonjour
Spanish: Hola
Brazilian Portugese: Oi
Chinese Mandarin: Ni hao
Chinese Cantonese: Nei Ho
Texan: Howdy
Alabama: Howdy
New York City: How ya doin?
English may be considered the international business language
Idioms, slang, humor
Hand gestures, body language
Time zones – meeting schedules
Cultural norms, preferences
Procurement process – negotiation techniques
Government controls, protocols
International business practices, political issues, social practices
Working in virtual teams is probably inevitable in today’s technologically-advanced workplace. If some best practices and guidelines are followed, working on virtual teams can be an extremely efficient way to communicate and collaborate.
Keep these things in mind when working on virtual teams:
English may be considered the international business language
Common mistake is to assume that a non-native speaking English speaker understands: Idioms, Slang, humor….
Hand gestures, body language may have an impact. A certain hand gesture in one culture may have a totally different meaning in another culture.
Time zones – be aware of the different time zones around the world and the impact this can have on scheduling meetings.
Cultural norms, preferences – people from different cultures are accustomed to different norms and customs.
Procurement process – negotiation techniques. Negotiation techniques and styles may also vary by culture.
Government controls, protocols – different countries may impose different rules on business practices.
International business practices, political issues, social practices – all of these may potentially have an impact on the project.
PMP, CAPM, PgMP, PMI-SP , PMI-RMP, OPM3 and PMBOK  are registered marks of Project Management Institute, Inc
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12. Challenges of working in a Global Environment
Centrifuge forces of Virtual Team
Cross cultural leadership intelligence dimensions
Working in virtual teams, while facilitating long distance collaboration, presents many challenges. As the above diagram on the left shows, these challenges are:
a. Communication challenges – these can include technical and/or logistical challenges.
b. Coordination challenges – coordinating everyone’s schedules and availability can be a daunting task.
c. Control challenges – it can be a challenge to control attendance and participation
d. Cohesion barriers – it’s not the same as meeting face to face
e. Time differences – time differences further
f. Cross-cultural diffences – these differences can become even more apparent when working in virtual teams
The diagram on the right displays the “ingredients” of cross cultural leadership intelligence. As you can see, Trust is the central element in this model. In order to ensure a healthy, harmonious working environment, trust has to exist between all the members of the team, especially between the project manager and the other team members. Conflict management will only be successful when there is an element of trust on the team and amongst all stakeholders.

13. Inov8Solutions Inc – Quality Educational Services For Professionals
Language
IDIOMS
A little bird told me
Face the music
Bad hair day
Penny for your thoughts
Brownie points
Curiosity killed the cat
Hit the nail on the head
Have an axe to grind
Be all ears
Barking up the wrong tree
ACRONYMS
CC can mean carbon copy, cruise control, cost center
BU can mean Business unit, Bargaining unit
LOL – laugh out loud
Jeet yet? ( New Jersey “Did you eat yet”)
Fuhgeddaboudit –Brooklyn, NY (forget about it!)
Wide variety of implied meanings
These are some very common idioms and acronyms in the English language.
Understand that using these idioms and acronyms in a multi-cultural setting might lead to miscommunication and misunderstanding. It would be better to use words, phrases, and sentences which are unambiguous and have the least chance of being misunderstood or misinterpreted. This will lead to better functioning teams and more efficient collaboration on projects.
PMP, CAPM, PgMP, PMI-SP , PMI-RMP, OPM3 and PMBOK  are registered marks of Project Management Institute, Inc
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14. Inov8Solutions Inc – Quality Educational Services For Professionals
Review Quiz
From a project management perspective, the statement “The early bird gets the worm” is an example of:
A. An acronym
B. A best practice
C. A cultural difference
D. an idiom
The correct answer is D.
This is an example of an idiom.
PMP, CAPM, PgMP, PMI-SP , PMI-RMP, OPM3 and PMBOK  are registered marks of Project Management Institute, Inc
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15. Inov8Solutions Inc – Quality Educational Services For Professionals
Cross Culture
PUBLIC BEHAVIOR
Early socialization, family structure
Leisure pursuits and interests
Total lifestyle
Aural space
Roles and status
Holidays and ceremonies
Small group behavior
OTHER BEHVIOR
Humor
Non-oral body language
Sports
Political structure of the society
Educational system
Traditions
Food and eating
Social class structure
Technological/cultural changes
Organization and work ethic
COUNTRY AND CULTURE
Cognitive styles
Negotiation styles
Value
Geography
History
Type of Government
Language
Religion
Demographics
Time zones
BUSINESS PRACTICES
Appointments
Business Entertaining
Laws
PROTOCOL
Greetings
Titles
Gestures
Dress
Gifts
There are many aspects to truly appreciating the cross cultural nature of today’s work environment. These factors include public behavior, country and culture, business practices, protocols, and other types of behavior.
In order to be a successful project manager, you must have an open mind and recognize that all the project team members and other stakeholders have their own unique stories to tell, their own unique backgrounds, personalities, languages, cultural norms, business practices, traditions, histories, and so on and so forth.
PMP, CAPM, PgMP, PMI-SP , PMI-RMP, OPM3 and PMBOK  are registered marks of Project Management Institute, Inc
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16. Inov8Solutions Inc – Quality Educational Services For Professionals
Summary
Do the right thing
Follow the right process
Act Ethically, Fairly and professionally
In summary, a project manager should follow these guidelines:
-Always do the right thing
-Follow the right process
-Act ethically, fairly, and professionally
PMP, CAPM, PgMP, PMI-SP , PMI-RMP, OPM3 and PMBOK  are registered marks of Project Management Institute, Inc
Inov8Solutions Inc – Quality Educational Services For Professionals
13-16