MN601 Network Project Management: Case Study on Leadership & Ethics

This case study analyzes leadership and ethical dilemmas in a commercial construction project, focusing on the conflict between a newly hired assistant project manager and a seasoned superintendent. The core issue revolves around the superintendent's practice of sending carpenters to his home on rainy days while still compensating them from company funds. The analysis covers project execution challenges, risk assessment related to weather conditions, and ethical considerations based on the PMI Code of Ethics. Alternative ethical decisions, such as transferring surplus workforce to other projects during inclement weather, are evaluated using the PMI ethical decision-making framework. The study concludes by emphasizing the importance of ethical actions that promote a positive work environment and responsible use of company resources, contrasting the controversial decision with a more ethical and productive approach to workforce management.

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Table of Contents
PM Leadership...................................................................................................................1
PM Execution.....................................................................................................................1
PM Risk Analysis................................................................................................................2
Ethics Assessment..............................................................................................................2
Ethics Alternatives.............................................................................................................2
Ethics Analysis....................................................................................................................2
Ethics Application...............................................................................................................3
Ethics Action......................................................................................................................3
References.........................................................................................................................4
PM Leadership
Jim Rains is a newly hired assistance project manager at a commercial construction company
while Bob Moore is a head superintendent working in the company for more than 25 years.
As leaders, both Bob and Jim are very efficient, which can be judged from the fact that Jim
could not digest it when Bob used to send carpenters to his house on rainy days while still
paying them from company’s accounts [1]. On the other hand, Bob was viewing the issue as a
human resource managerial concern and did not want the carpenters to become demotivated
or dissatisfied with their jobs by lying around free on rainy days. As a result, both of them are
good as leaders.
PM Execution
The execution of the project has not been going very well, which is evident from the fact that
the carpenters are not happy with their work schedule being disturbed because of the rain. On
the other hand, the company is dealing with a situation where it has surplus workforce on

rainy days, which does no work but is still being paid for the entire day. As a result, the cost
of the project is increasing unnecessarily, which questions the execution of the project.
PM Risk Analysis
In construction projects, one of the biggest risks is related with the weather, which should be
clearly identified during the planning phase itself. Weather conditions, such as rain,
hailstorm, snowfall, etc. can hinder the progress of a project as the conditions are not suitable
for construction programs [2]. To deal with such risks, the company should have prepared
detailed charts and plan execution in such a way that operations like carpentry, etc., which are
vulnerable to rains, should not have been done in months of heavy rain [3].
Ethics Assessment
Ethics is a person’s judgement of right and wrong. Ethics can play a huge role in the business
world because leaders often take decisions on the basis of their ethical values. The ethical
issues that arises in the cases study is whether Bob should use the workforce of his company
for his personal work i.e. whether he should send his company’s carpenters to his own house
for carpentry and pay them from the company’s expenses. Code of Ethics & Professional
Conduct is a legal framework which ensures that honesty, responsibility, respect and fairness
are the values that define the ethical decisions taken by project managers in their profession.
Code of Ethics and Business Conduct have a provision for protection of a company’s assets,
resources and data from being misused. As a result, using company’s workforce for personal
work is unethical on Bob’s part and can be legally challenged as well.
Ethics Alternatives
Bob has a number of ethical alternatives that would help him in dealing with the ongoing
situation. One of the best alternative is to bring the situation under the radar of the senior
management. As the company is a large construction company, it is obvious that it must have
some other projects running nearby [4]. When the work conditions in the ongoing project are
not suitable, Bob can transfer the surplus workforce to other projects where their efforts can
be used. This would not just prevent the company from losing its productivity and speed, but
will also help in ensuring a better management system.

Ethics Analysis
According to the PMI Ethical decision making framework, there are five steps that can help
in analysing the ethical value of a decision. Let us analyse our alternative ethical decision
according to the framework:
Firstly, the decision has been considered after considering all the facts and information of the
case and will definitely be beneficial for the company. Secondly, it Is important to make a
prediction and consider the final results of the decision. In this case, our alternative decision
will definitely have better results for the company in the future as compared to the present
decision taken by Bob. Third, it is important to identify one’s own feeling towards the
decision. With respect to our alternative decision, Bob will definitely be happier as it would
help him in dealing with the on-going problems [5]. In the fourth step, Bob needs to consider
if he can live with his alternative decision. In the last step, Bob needs to think if he would be
able to explain his decision to other people and prove its ethicality.
A thorough analysis of our decision can clearly demonstrate that the alternative decision is
any day better than the one that was earlier taken by Bob.
Ethics Application
From the view point of a project manager, the alternative decision to employ the carpenters at
some other project on days of rain will definitely have a positive impact on the company and
will provide a greater good to everyone because not only will it help the company in avoiding
wastage of resources but will also ensure that the resources of the company are utilised in a
proper way and the productivity of the company does not suffer because of weather
conditions. Further, the choice will also be fair to all the concerned people because the
carpenters will work for the company in all conditions, rather than working at the house of
some employee while still being paid by the company.
Ethics Action
In this case study, the decision of Bob to employ the carpenters at his house on rainy days can
be controversial and can foster a negative environment in the workplace as the workforce
would start to misuse the assets and resources of the company for their personal use. On the
other hand, the decision to transfer the workforce to some other project site on days of rain

when the work conditions are not suitable will allow the managers to ensure continuous and
smooth running of operations and in fostering a positive environment in the workplace.

References
[1] J. B. Ciulla, Ethics, the Heart of Leadership, 3rd Edition, ABC-CLIO, 2014.
[2] A. Chughtai, M. Byrne and B. Flood, “Linking Ethical Leadership to Employee Well-Being:
The Role of Trust in Supervisor,” Journal of Business Ethics , vol. 128, no. 3, pp. 653-
663, May 2015.
[3] A. Walker, Project management in construction, John Wiley & Sons, 2015.
[4] H. Kerzner and H. R. Kerzner, Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning,
Scheduling, and Controlling, Wiley Publishers, 2017.
[5] M. S. Schwartz, “Ethical Decision-Making Theory: An Integrated Approach,” Journal of
Business Ethics, vol. 139, no. 3, pp. 755-776, December 2016.