Client-side project management capabilities: dealing with ethical dilemmas

The purpose of this paper is to present results and analysis from a case study on ethical dilemmas faced by client-side project management employees of a large Australian University. Design/methodology/approach - A single case study approach was adopted using the property services division's experience of potential ethical dilemmas that staff were exposed to as a focus for the unit of analysis. Data were triangulated by interviewing the Deputy Director of the division, a programme manager, a project manager and a client (stakeholder) with experience of dealing with the division. Each person was interviewed and the interview transcribed and analysed using grounded theory to make sense of the data. Findings - Four potential ethical dilemmas were identified: fraud/bribery/corruption; favouritism and special treatment; occupational health and safety and duty of care; and professionalism and respect for others. Leadership, governance structure and (organisational and national) culture supported initiative and independent thinking through cause-and-effect loops and consequences and this meditated and influenced how these dilemmas were dealt with. Research limitations/implications - This was just one case study in one cultural and governance setting. Greater insights and confidence in conclusions could be gained with replication of this kind of study. This study was part of a broader study of ethics in project management (PM) that consisted of eight other cases studies by others in the wider research team, also a quantitative study has been undertaken with results to be presented in other papers/reports. The main implication is that governance and workplace culture are two key influences that moderate and mediate an individuals inherent response to an ethical dilemma.