Half ethical is like half pregnant.

OK, I must admit that this subject is not as sexy or controversial as Agile and that it may be anticlimactic for this 100^th post (I know, it is both a shameless plug and a quest for praise; please oblige…) but it goes to the heart of business and human relations.

Can you be half ethical?  How does half trustworthy sound to you?  I’m asking because over the last few days I’ve had to ponder this both at work and in conversations with friends.  Here are some of the issues that came to my attention:

• A project manager has been changing procurement rules after milking a solution provider for information over many iterations of a potential project that never quite starts.  These iterations took place over 3+ years.  It also appears that the project manager may have given part of previous bid packages to the provider’s competition.
• A program manager has been hiding key information from his project manager, his solution provider’s project manager, and his own stakeholders.  This information was critical to proposals and to the successful delivery of projects.  Expectations are now out of sync with what is actually feasible.
• A solution provider has been talking with its clients in a way that would suggest to that client that almost unlimited resources can be made available to his projects although this is far from the truth.

In none of these situations can the culprits say with a straight face that they have been 100% ethical and trustworthy.  All of these situations describe a damaged relationship that will probably never be mended.  What if all participants always behaved like they are in a relationship (for the long term) instead of executing a transaction (a one night stand)?  What do you think?  As always comments are welcome.

So, I used the word Agile twice which should perk up my statistics.  All that is missing now is your praise; don’t make me wait too long…

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Comments

[Shim Marom]

Congratz from down-under.

Like you I am also struggling with issues of ethics and morality, cursed with the knowledge that these issues touch on our very core and have been shaped by millions of years of evolutionary development. I share your naivety in expecting others to behave in a ethical and morally excepted manner but at the same time I know and accept the fact that such expectation is beyond human capability and that both you and I are likely to exhibit unethical behaviour in some circumstances – that’s just the way we are.

On another note, I read some cynicism (which I would be happy to share) regarding the latest tendency to use Agile as a mechanism to attract votes. This is an interesting observation which says nothing and everything about the maturity of our respective audiences.

[William Nichols]

Patrick,

I congratulate your ingenuity, figuring out how to drive up your search engine hits.

WRT to honesty, it would be hard to work with someone you can't turn your back on.

[Portfolio Allocation]

great article

[Patrick Richard]

Shim,

Thanks for the comments. Ethics are all about gray zones; it's just that some people operate in the darker gray areas...

Please expand on your thoughts about Agile.

Regards,

Patrick

[Patrick Richard]

William,

I can't say that my little ploy to boost readership worked.

Regarding those you can't turn your back on; I find those easy to deal with because they are in the open. Those who hide their motives are far more dangerous.

Regards,

Patrick