MN601 Network Project Management: Leadership, Ethics Case Study T2

This case study analyzes a network project management scenario involving Bob Moore, an experienced superintendent, and Jim Ray, an assistant project manager. The case highlights ethical dilemmas arising from Bob's leadership decisions, particularly regarding the use of project resources for personal tasks. It assesses project execution problems due to weather-related delays and inadequate risk planning. The study evaluates ethical alternatives, applying the PMI ethical decision-making framework to propose solutions that prioritize ethical conduct, maintain team motivation, and mitigate budget risks. Ultimately, the analysis advocates for engaging carpenters in internal project tasks to address ethical concerns while acknowledging the need for comprehensive risk management strategies. Desklib offers a wealth of similar solved assignments and past papers to aid students in their studies.

Running head: NETWORK PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Network Project Management
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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NETWORK PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Table of Contents
1. PM Leadership............................................................................................................................2
2. PM Execution..............................................................................................................................2
3. PM Risk Analysis.........................................................................................................................2
4. Ethics Assessment.......................................................................................................................2
5. Ethics Alternatives......................................................................................................................3
6. Ethics Analysis.............................................................................................................................3
7. Ethics Application.......................................................................................................................3
8. Ethics Action...............................................................................................................................4
References......................................................................................................................................5

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NETWORK PROJECT MANAGEMENT
1. PM Leadership
Bob Moore is an experienced superintendent of the organization yet he has shown an autocratic
leadership in tackling the problem. Bob did not consult the other team members while taking a decision
of sending the carpenters for his own personal work. Although his intention behind the decision of
sending the carpenters to his home was to keep them motivated and not to pay them for doing nothing,
paying the carpenters from the project’s budget was not a good decision. From the employees’
perspective, the leadership style shown by Bob Moore is that of a motivator however, his leadership
skills proved to be not beneficial for the organization. Jim Ray being an assistant project manager tried
to work for the company and has shown a transformational leadership [5]. He tried to talk to Bob at first
before talking any decision considering his experience in the firm.
2. PM Execution
There are some serious problems associated with execution of the project. This is mainly
because the winter rains have put a break on the normal operations of the project. This signifies an
improper project management plan that has been prepared in the initiation phase of the project. The
project might not have faced these problems if the carpenters are hired on a contractual basis and not
on daily wage basis. Furthermore, it was the responsibility of the project manager to consider the time
loss due to rains while preparing the project plan since winter and spring rains are a natural
phenomenon.
3. PM Risk Analysis
The project management plan must have identified and analysed the schedule risk that the
project faced due to winter and spring rains. The outdoor works should have not been scheduled during
the rains in the project plan. [4] The current condition gives rise to schedule risk as well as budget risks
in the project [3]. These risks should have been identified in the project plan. As a mitigation plan for the
identified risk, either the carpenters should have been paid and hired on a contractual basis that could
have mitigated the budget risk or the outdoor works could have been scheduled either before or after
the rains.
4. Ethics Assessment
Bob in order to keep the carpenters motivated and engaged assigned them some tasks in his
own house. However, he continued to pay the carpenters from the project cost which was unethical [6].

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NETWORK PROJECT MANAGEMENT
This ethical dilemma does not abide by the law. According to the code of ethics and professional
conduct, respect, responsibility, honesty and fairness are certain values and characteristics that drive
the ethical conduct a project should acknowledge [8]. Bob has not been honest with the organization
while paying the carpenters for the project. This therefore does not align with the PMI code of ethics
and Professional Conduct.
5. Ethics Alternatives
In the current situation there are very less alternatives present. Bob does not want to lose the
resources of the project and therefore has engaged the carpenters in his own works. As an alternative to
the following condition, it is recommended that the carpenters should be engaged in the other works of
the project or should work for the organization and not in the house of Bob [7]. Furthermore, it is
recommended that if the carpenters are engaged with the works in the house of Bob, the carpenters
should be stopped paying from the budget of the project. If the carpenters are involved with the internal
works of the organization then they can be paid from the project cost.
The benefit of the carpenters remaining involved in certain other works of the organization is
that the situation will not be unethical. However, this option will not mitigate the schedule risk of the
project [9]. There is another alternative for the current situation which is to prevent the carpenters to
work during the rains. Although the advantage of this alternative is that it will mitigate the identified
budget risk from the project, it will result in the loss of the project resources which may not be afforded
by the project team.
6. Ethics Analysis
According to the PMI ethical decision making framework, there are a number of steps that is
involved with the ethical decision making. These steps are assessing the ethical dilemma, considering
the alternative choice of the project, analysing the candidate decision, applying the ethical principles
and making the final decision [10]. In the current situation, all the steps of assessing and considering the
alternative choices have already been performed. On assessing the alternatives, it has been found out
that the key decision is to involve the carpenters in internal works of the project which will not only
keep them motivated but also will stop the unethical wastage of the resources of the project by
eliminating the need of paying the carpenters for doing the works in Bob’s house [2].
7. Ethics Application

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The choice of involving the carpenters in certain other works of the organization will surely
result in greatest good mainly because it is ethical. This decision will keep the carpenters motivated and
they will not lose their jobs as well. Although the decision will do very little to address the schedule risk,
the decision is found to be beneficial for all the concerned parties. With this decision, Jim will not have
to take any step against one of the most experienced employees of the organization that is Bob.
Furthermore, the decision of Bob to keep the carpenters engaged and motivated will be acknowledged
as well.
8. Ethics Action
On analysing the situation from an ethical perspective, it can be said that the choice of keeping
the carpenters engaged will be of greatest good. This proves that there was no wrong in the leadership
style of Bob although the path he chose was unethical [1]. The decision removes the ethical dilemmas
associated with the project and with the situation and therefore the choice of involving the carpenters
and the workers in certain other works of the project or the organization seems to be well justified.

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References
[1]. Yukl, Gary, Rubina Mahsud, Shahidul Hassan, and Gregory E. Prussia. "An improved measure of
ethical leadership." Journal of leadership & organizational studies 20, no. 1 (2013): 38-48.
[2]. Burke, Rory. "Project management: planning and control techniques." New Jersey, USA (2013).
[3]. Parker, Marla, and Eric W. Welch. "Professional networks, science ability, and gender determinants
of three types of leadership in academic science and engineering." The Leadership Quarterly 24, no. 2
(2013): 332-348.
[4]. Harrison, Frederick, and Dennis Lock. Advanced project management: a structured approach.
Routledge, 2017.
[5]. F. Vito, Gennaro, George E. Higgins, and Andrew S. Denney. "Transactional and transformational
leadership: An examination of the leadership challenge model." Policing: An International Journal of
Police Strategies & Management 37, no. 4 (2014): 809-822.
[6]. Remley, Theodore Phant, and Barbara Herlihy. Ethical, legal, and professional issues in counseling.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2014.
[7]. Phillips, Joseph. PMP, Project Management Professional (Certification Study Guides). McGraw-Hill
Osborne Media, 2013.
[8]. Durkheim, Emile. Professional ethics and civic morals. Routledge, 2013.
[9]. Wang, Danni, David A. Waldman, and Zhen Zhang. "A meta-analysis of shared leadership and team
effectiveness." Journal of applied psychology 99, no. 2 (2014): 181.
[10]. Kerzner, Harold, and Harold R. Kerzner. Project management: a systems approach to planning,
scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons, 2017.