This document outlines a 5-step ethical decision-making framework presented by Alankar Karpe from PMI's Ethics Member Advisory Group. The 5 steps are: 1) assess all facts about the ethical issue, 2) consider all alternative choices, 3) identify impacts of the preferred choice, 4) apply ethical principles to the choice, and 5) make and act on the decision. The framework provides guiding questions at each step to help evaluate choices and ensure decisions are ethical, responsible, and will withstand scrutiny over time. The overall goal is to instill confidence in project management professionals by promoting ethical conduct.

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The Leader’s Choice:
Five Steps to Ethical Decision Making
Alankar Karpe, Ethics Member Advisory Group, PMI
28 September 2013

2. 2The Leader’s Choice: Five Steps to Ethical Decision Making
Agenda
The EMAG
Leadership
Leadership and Ethics
The PMI Ethical Decision-Making Framework
Ethical Resources @ PMI

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What is Ethics Member Advisory Group
(EMAG)
• The mission of the Ethics Member Advisory Group
• Monitor the usage of the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
by stakeholders.
• Recommend principles and procedures for the periodic review
and/or amendment of the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.
• Facilitate Code learning & discussion to achieve adherence to
the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.
• Facilitate communications with stakeholders regarding the Code
of Ethics and Professional Conduct.
The Leader’s Choice: Five Steps to Ethical Decision Making

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THE EMAG TEAM
William G. Scarborough, Vice President & General Counsel
Jill Cherpak, Communications Specialist
› Giusi Meloni, PMP (Team Leader)
› Peter Pfeiffer, PMP
› Shobhna Raghupathy, PMP
› Paul Pelletier LL.B. PMP
› Michael O’Brochta, PMP
› Chris Kindermans, PMP
› Kelly Oliveira
› Alankar Karpe, PMP
The Leader’s Choice: Five Steps to Ethical Decision Making

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ABOUT LEADERSHIP…
Strategic Leadership
Situational Leadership
lead·er·ship (ldr-shp) n.
1. The position or office of a leader;
2. Capacity or ability to lead;
3. Process of social influence
4. Guidance; direction.
Followership
Participative Leadership
Toxic Leadership
Innovative Leadership
Servant Leadership
The Leader’s Choice: Five Steps to Ethical Decision Making

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ABOUT A LEADER…
The leader is responsible for the set of
ethics or norms that govern the behavior
of the people in the organization.
Leaders set the moral tone. W. Bennis
Exemplary leaders know that if they want to gain
commitment and achieve the highest standards, they
must be models of the behavior they expect of others.
Leaders model the way. J. Kouzes
The Leader’s Choice: Five Steps to Ethical Decision Making

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ABOUT A LEADER…
It’s clear that if people
anywhere are to willingly
follow someone - whether it
be into battle or into the
boardroom, the front office or
the front lines - they first want
to assure themselves that the
person is worthy of their trust.
J. Kouzes
The Leader’s Choice: Five Steps to Ethical Decision Making

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LEADERSHIP & ETHICS
Ethical
Behavior
Building
Trust
Effective
Leadership
Project
Success
The Leader’s Choice: Five Steps to Ethical Decision Making

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OUR CODE OF ETHICS & PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT
Fairness is our duty to make decisions and act impartially and objectively. Our
conduct must be free from competing self interest, prejudice, and favoritism.
Responsibility is our duty to take ownership for the decisions we make or fail to make,
the actions we take or fail to take, and the consequences that result.
Respect is our duty to show a high regard for ourselves, others, and the resources
entrusted to us. Resources entrusted to us may include people, money, reputation, the
safety of others, and natural or environmental resources.
Honesty is our duty to understand the truth and act in a truthful manner both in our
communications and in our conduct.
Excerpts from the PMI® Code of Ethics and Professional ConductThe Leader’s Choice: Five Steps to Ethical Decision Making

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WHY THIS CODE?
• to instill confidence in the Project Management profession;
• to advance our profession, both individually and collectively;
• to assist us in making wise decisions.
We believe that the credibility and reputation of the Project Management
profession is shaped by the collective conduct of individual practitioners.
Which is why we have…
Excerpts from the PMI® Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
The PMI Ethical Decision Making Framework
The Leader’s Choice: Five Steps to Ethical Decision Making

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Advantages of being Ethical
Goodwill
Increased amount of trust within team
Moral, loyal and motivated employees (High productivity)
Stakeholders confidence
Competitive Edge in the market
Long term positive effects
Presentation Title

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Examples of Ethical issues
Admission of Wrongdoing
Profit Vs. People motivation
Lack of Authority
Short-Term Project, Long-Term Consequences
Vendor selection
Reporting
Presentation Title

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A FEW FACTS ABOUT THE PMI EDMF
• The PMI EDMF has been developed for use by PMI members and PMI credential
holders;
• It is aspirational and not mandatory;
• It is intended to be used as a guideline document to provoke critical thinking
throughout the ethical decision-making process;
• It starts as a sequence of questions and sub-questions to stimulate the user to
recognize and assess the given situation or an issue;
• The PMI EDMF users may find useful to loop back-and-forth between steps and
challenge themselves with additional steps and questions;
• The answers to the questions proposed by the PMI EDMF are the responsibility of
the user
• EDMF can not resolve specific ethical dilemmas, but can surely help to clarify the
situation, eliminate poor choices, and illuminate better possibilities
The Leader’s Choice: Five Steps to Ethical Decision Making

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PMI EDMF IN SHORT
Assessment
Make sure you have all the facts about the ethical issue
Alternatives
Consider your choices
Analysis
Identify your candidate decision and test its validity
Application
Apply ethical principles to your candidate decision
Action
Make your decision
The Leader’s Choice: Five Steps to Ethical Decision Making

16. 16Presentation Title
• Does it abide by the law?
• Does it align with the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct?
• Does it agree with your employer’s and client’s code of ethics and
conduct?
• Does it align with your ethical values and those of the surrounding
culture?
• View PMI's Code of Ethics and
Professional Conduct
• Access ethics resources
• View Ethics Case Procedures.
• Identify your personal values
and hold them against the
surrounding culture.
Assessment
Make sure you have all the facts about the ethical issue
Are there substantial facts to make a case?
No
Gather more facts or
discard the case
Yes Go to the next step
Tools & TechniquesGuiding questions ...

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• Have you listed all the possible alternative options / choices?
• Have you considered pros and cons for each possible choice?
• Identify your different options
from a
legal, juridical, professional
and cultural point of view.
• Use Decision making
techniques (e.g., 5 Why’s, …)
• Use pros/cons list.
• Compare and prioritize your
options.
Alternatives
Consider your choices
Are there viable options?
No
Gather more facts,
explore more alternatives
or discard the case
Yes Go to the next step
Tools & TechniquesGuiding questions ...
The Leader’s Choice: Five Steps to Ethical Decision Making

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• Will your candidate decision have a positive impact or prevent harm
to PMs, PMI staff or volunteers, clients, your employer’s
organization, other stakeholders, the environment, or future
generations?
• Does your candidate decision take cultural differences into account?
• Looking back, will this decision seem like a good idea a year from
now?
• Are you free from external influence to make this decision?
• Are you in a calm and unstressed state of mind?
• Identify where and whom your
possible decision could impact.
• Analyze the degree of harm
your possible decision could
cause.
• Balance the possible harm
and/or benefit that decision
may provoke, now or in the
future.
• Put your decision in some time
perspective (How will you feel
about it in 1 month, 1 year, 5
years from now?)
• Consider to allow yourself a
cool-down period (Are you not
over-reacting?).
Analysis
Identify your candidate decision and test its validity
Yes Go to the next step
Are the possible impacts acceptable?
No Review the facts and your
options or discard the case
Tools & TechniquesGuiding questions ...
The Leader’s Choice: Five Steps to Ethical Decision Making

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• Would your choice result in the greatest good?
• Would your choice treat others as you would like to be treated?
• Would your choice be fair and beneficial to all concerned?
• Hold your candidate decision
against the Code of Ethics.
• Apply ethical principles to
your candidate decision.
• Review the situation with one
or more trusted persons.
Application
Apply ethical principles to your candidate decision
Is your decision consistent?
Yes Go to the next step
No
Review the facts, the options
and the implications
or discard the case
Tools & TechniquesGuiding questions ...
The Leader’s Choice: Five Steps to Ethical Decision Making

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Are you willing to accept responsibility for your decision?
Could you make your decision public and feel good about it?
Are you ready to act?
• Analyze the consequences
your decision may have on
emotional state, your social
life and your professional
career.
• Prepare a plan of action for
the “day after” (the decision).
• Consider your position and
your reaction on most of the
critiques that you might
receive in the course of the
actions.
Yes act on your decision
Action
Make your decision
Guiding questions ... Tools & Techniques
Are you comfortable with the decision?
No
Review the facts, the options,
the implications or your
decision, or discard the case
The Leader’s Choice: Five Steps to Ethical Decision Making

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You may subscribe to Ethics in Project Management CoP at
http://ethics.vc.pmi.org/Public/Home.aspx
ETHICAL RESOURCES @ PMI
The Leader’s Choice: Five Steps to Ethical Decision Making
http://www.pmi.org/Ethics

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CONTACT INFO
Alankar Karpe, PMP
ethics.mag@pmi.org
The Leader’s Choice: Five Steps to Ethical Decision Making