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Ethics in Gap-Based DeliveryRicardo I. Guido Lavalle, PgMP, PMP 

I recently had the pleasure of watching a lecture by Prof. Clovis de Barros. He teaches Ethics at

Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP! Bra"il. I regret his production is in Portuguese.

Prof. Clovis not only #nows about ethics$ he%s a superb! wonderful e&positor! an agile and engaging

guy that can 'aintain interest for as long as two hours with the 'ost diverse attendance.

Ethics is about the right actions. hat%s the right

thing to do in a certain situation) hat%s the greatest

value to be preserved)

e%ll see that 'any different views coe&ist at thesa'e ti'e in our societies and organi"ations! and

that poses a challenge in our day*to*day decisions.

hile it has re+uired a nice a'ount of people

 burning their eyelashes in candle%s fla'es doing

deep thin#ing and studying! Ethics is actually

everywhere around us. It%s not about etereal or 

'etaphysical 'atters! but about doing  things.

,#! let-s 'ove on.

Prof. Clovis depicted a landscape on Ethics history co'prising five 'ain 'o'ents and trends• /ree# ti'es! when ethics was about fitting oneself in the great cos'ological order. 01ight2

actions were those such that 'ade the Cos'os achieve its 'a&i'u' order. 3ro' this

standpoint /ree# philosophers ('ainly 4ristotle assu'ed rigid! stable social layers where

aristocracy had the 'ost part in the ga'e.

• Conse+uencialis'! whose spot*lighted leader was  5iccolo 6acchiavelli! strived to

'a&i'i"e prince-s power. 1ight actions were those that had achieved the 'ost power for the

 prince. 4ttention here! the right actions were considered right after they proved to be

efficient for the sought end *power*. Call it ild Prag'atis' if you want.

• Utilitarianis'! 'ostly proposed by Bentha' and 7ohn Stuart 6ills! is a great 8ustification

for liberalis' and ai's for 0the greatest happiness of the greatest number  0. It is a si'ple

and attractive standpoint! and it even fits with co''on de'ocratic views. However! it

 presents so'e issues regarding 'inorities! and the Holocaust is a 'a8or de'onstration of

that.

• ith I''anuel 9ant e'erges the inner spiritual origin of Ethics. 9ant contested the

utilitarianis' with his deontology. 4n action was right if the very inspiration of it was good!

regardless of the conse+uences. :he ulti'ate goal was to for' a corpus of universally valid

actions! such they were valid in any conte&t! and forever. :he puritan ethics of duty and

good purpose is an e&pression of this long*lasting and very successful ethical view a'ong

sa&on*a'erican people.

• In contrast to all previous views! post*'odernist Ethics is about relativis'. Reason was

de'onstrated not to be co'plete by /;del! the gree# Cosmos proved not to be organi"ed at

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all but a huge Chaos , and God ! if at all present! showed no co''it'ent with hu'an affairs.

:hus they are no longer used to establish an un'ovable univocal coordinate syste' forethical decisions. Ethics beco'es transactional! an agree'ent between parties! were

openness and transparency of purposes beco'es crucial. Botto'line! Post*'odern Ethics is

the result of a Social Contract! and agree'ent inter pares. 4 serious warning is presented by

7ean Baudrillard. If you ran through 'y previous article! you will easily perceive that

diverse! disguised si'ulation degrees can 8eopardi"e the opportunity to achieve valid

agree'ents.

Ethics shows up at execution

Ethics is about the right thing to <o'ore than the right thing to thin# or a way of planning. hile

'ost plans will consider in advance so'e ethical scenarios! 'ost ethical challenges occur when theaction is actually ta#ing place.

Progra's are about realizing  visions! converting high*level vision into benefits. :his has direct

relation with the so*called 0Strategy*E&ecution gap2. Is the organi"ation able to e&ecute such that

what they wish is in fact reali"ed) :his is a CE, concern.

,n the downstrea'! progra' 'anagers are challenged to bridge the gap between current progra'

status and final! desired benefit*harvesting progra' status. Progra' 'anager pri'ary duty is to

 bring about the opportunity for benefits to co'e in fact being reali"ed! and in doing so the progra'

'anager will be faced with several ethical challenges.

:here are so'e 'anage'ent approaches that assu'e fro' start a certain ethical bias.

• 3or instance Mission Leadership (depicted in this article of 'ine is rather Consequencialist  

in its genesis. “No, don’t call me a military pedant; call me a business enthusiast.. Results

abo!e all . I 'yself behave pretty Consequencialist  in 'ost death*'arch pro8ects. 4llright!

6c9inney is prudent and proposes a way to bo& the pro8ects with non*passable bounds and 

rules o" engagement ! so I do! but the spirit is noticebly prag'atic with a delicious bit of

9antian deontology *<uty.

• P6I code of ethics balances a'ong a +uest for gree# virtues (honor and fairness! the good

intentions (#.$.% &e ma'e commitments and promises, implied or e(plicit, in good "aith and

controlled post*'odern ethics(%.).* &e proacti!ely and "ully disclose any real or potential

con"licts o" interest to the appropriate sta'eholders.. Certain e&pressions sound #ind of

utilitarian ($.$.* &e ma'e decisions and ta'e actions based on the best interests o" society,

 public sa"ety, and the en!ironment . :he whole Code spirit is 9antian! and it is natural to

e&pect a code to want to be of universal applicability.

• 6ost 'a8or organi"ations are pri'arily gree# ( +m right because +-m the boss with different

degrees of 9antianis' (don-t as' me "or results, + did the right thing .

• Start*ups often prefer Conse+uentialis' until they face the lawyers for the first ti'e.

• Politics revolves around Utilitarianis' for the 'asses! deontology for the debates and plain

'acchiavelis' in their bac# offices.

•

6ost =5orth> a'erican people has a healthy tendence to the values of duty and good'otives. Puritan%s choice of 9antian Ethics*

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• 6ost adapted organi"ations and co'panies show a high degree of post*'odernist Ethics

 bias. Healt! Security and Environ'ent affiliations! non*discri'inatory hiring procedures!low*e'ission co''it'ents! all spea# of a good level of interactions and agree'ents

 between parties.

Gap-Based delivery ethics

I thin# it would be far easier if we had a uni+ue! univeresal ethical point of reference to wor# with.

:hat way we have a single! always*wor#ing ruler to apply for every situation. 9ant%s categories

were great because they sought :HE ulti'ate and always valid ethical laws. ?ou as a parent! you as

a professional or you at the church! you would always #now what the thing to do was.

… meanwhile, somewhere in the real world...:he progra' we were assigned to co''and is going s'ooth and fine. 5obody really cares whether

we are 9antian or Utilitarian or whatever! as long as we don%t 'a#e waves and disturb that

incredible peace. 4lright! we 8ust don-t have noticeable challenges regarding Ethics. ?et.

Suddenly a situation shows up. 4 che'ical you were using is reported as a potential danger to the

environ'ent. 5obody is to bla'e. 4s a recent finding! its da'age potential hadn-t been assessed at

 planning ti'e. :he environ'ent protection authorities have not yet banned the che'ical! and even

the report is not conclusive. ?ou could certainly deliver the involved progra' co'ponent with no

har' for you or for your contract. 6oreover! not proceeding as planned could 'ean a severe

da'age in the progra'-s financials. ,n the other hand! even when you are legally shielded! if the

che'ical finally proves to be dangerous for people! both people and your co'pany will benegatively i'pacted.

hat is your advice on what to do ne&t)

ait! wait.

:here%s not a uni+ue answer for 'ost relevant ethical proble's. :o 'a#e thin#s even 'ore

co'plicated! all of us (including govern'ents! churches and co'panies declare we have this or

that ethical code or preference! but we often change it according to e&ternal events or even to

internal happenings. 4 good try on how to proceed was 'ade by the P6I Ethics 6anage'ent

4dvisory /roup! providing a guide to Ethical decisions! as 6ichel ,-Brochta puts in a recent post

in a @in#edIn group

For some, the topic seems rather black and white with clear rights and wrongs. For others,including several of the commenters, and including myself, the topic is filled with shades of gray.For those of us who encounter ethical dilemmas where we feel that no clear path is immediatelyobvious, we must rely on our own reasoned judgement. PMI has followed some of the leadingorganiations in this regard by developing an !thical "ecision#Making Framework to helpmembers think through their ethical dilemmas$ it is available in %%languages&http&''www.pmi.org'(bout#)s'!thics'!thics#*esources.asp+ 

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4n ethical profile can change because of value perception.  +ndecent 

 roposal  is about bending personal ethics (moral ! actually in change for enough 'oney. So'e people will ris# their lives in order to save a penguin!

 but will not say a word for 'illions of chic#ens being #illed every day in

order to feed the'. 4 detour will be 'ade in a highway in order to save an

old oa# tree while giant tractors deforest the 4'a"onas and other forests.

hen I was a #id! every boy in the neighbor had a slingshot and so'eti'es

a #nife in the belt. e were all nor'al boys. :oday a boy with a slingshot is

#ind of unthin#able! and a boy with a #nife is to be shot at first sight. I%'

sure those people fro' uruguay that got lost in the 4ndes had a fir' Ethics

with regard to cannibalis'! but they ulti'ately survived A 'onths in the

snow with no Bell Soups at reach.

4n ethical profile can change depending who you are serving. Consider for instance the following

actual e&a'ple. I witnessed it in the :. In 4pril DD two otter hunters were detained by the

 police! and one of the' was su''arily shot by one of the cops. :he people in that town protested

in front of the police station. :he : reporter co''ented that people was angry because of the

shooting and the abuse. :his sa'e reporter then recorded a version for so'e international networ#!

C55 or 3o&! I don-t re'e'ber now. His co''ent about the tur'oil was 04ngry protests because

of wild species endangering2. :he sa'e facts! the sa'e video recording! the sa'e people! the sa'e

evidences! different values. ell! and a little lie.

hen you get in 0gap*based delivery2 'ode it%s because so'ething in the plans (0the straight

way2 cannot 'atch the tactical challenges the proble' poses. :he Plan includes certain provisions

li#e 0attach to the contract letter2! 0follow the line of co''and2 and so on. However! as a seasoned progra' 'anager you perceive that so'ething is 'issing or that the current scenario is not what

was assu'ed at planning ti'e. ?ou thus need to get tactical! you need to act and 'a#e a valid! on*

the*field decision.

In tactical! gap*based delivery 'ode! you are not only faced with a tough

decision! but you also need to 'a#e it in a hurry while bo'bshells

e&plode all around you. So 'aybe at last is it ti'e to get ride of that silly

ethical burden)

Certainly notF

If decisions and their conse+uences were serious when things were rolling

fine! your decisions in critical ti'es can branch out and propagate in

horrible ways. ?ou need to stay cool and tactical! and to be #nowledgeable and agile enough as to

detect the ethical ob8ections and conse+uences of your ne&t decisions.

,dds are you%ll need to 'a#e nasty decisions. However! nasty decisions aren%t necessarily the 'ost

co'ple& ones. hen a surgeon decides to a'putate a leg! that%s real nasty! but not a co'ple& one at

all we in average will accept the doctor%s word as a sufficient base for the action. hen you fire

so'eone! that%s nasty! but by 8ust invo#ing 0rightsi"ing needs2 or 0budget constraints2 you%ll be

safe! for people see' to have accepted that #ind of nonsense. Even 'ore nasty is to send our own

children to war and we do that in a proud spirit! for who will +uestion the need of defending the

country)

I 'ean! the very concept of 0right thing to do2 is a very elusive one. 4s a gap bridger you need to

clearly and +uic#ly understand the 8ustification conte&t you are facing.

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3ro' a gap*based delivery perspective! there-s no ethical change between nor'al and

critical ti'es! other than the te'porary nor's rela&ation due to urgency and fear. ?ou%ll be te'pted to paint your face and shout 0 /eronimo0 1ill -em all02.

:o play Play 1a'bo is great. ?ou feel you can in fact destroy all

those co''ies and avoid every bullet. I already felt that! it%s aweso'e. :hey

all will help paint your face and will pat your bac#.

Past the urgency and dissappeared the fear! you%ll be accountable. :his! 1a'bo

could never understand.

4 great perfor'er in hard ti'es was inston Churchill$ he could certainly ta#e a progra' to

success

ou ask, -hat is our policy I will say$ /It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our mightand with all the strength that 0od can give us& to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, neversurpassed in the dark lamentable catalogue of human crime. 1hat is our policy.2 ou ask, -hatis our aim I can answer with one word& 3ictory4victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror,victory however long and hard the road may be$ for without victory there is no survival.

4s you probably #now! Sir . Churchil had a rather poor political career after the II.

So we need to distinguish between decisions that need to be 'ade in order to #eep the progra' on

due course (Plan and those we need to 'a#e strictly in order to save the progra' fro' failure. ?ou

can provo#e a 'a8or plan change in order to acco'odate a critical tactical situation. ?ou shouldnt  

 provo#e a tactical intervention unless there%s evidence of severe ris# of not succeeding with current

Plan.

So what should I do? 

3irst! you should congratulate

yourself for having reached

this point. Ethics is hard to

read! harder to understand

and e&tre'ely difficult to

e&cercise on a regular basis.

Second! I-' te'pted to play

the guru and tell you what%sthe path you should ta#e. But

while I can tell you so'e

tales on Ethics! I feel It would

 be dangerous to advice you

on what to do when things get

hot. ,n the other hand! I-'

convinced not only that there

are no final answers e&cept

for si'ple situations! but I

also thin# there shouldn-t be

final answers.

Ethical proble's are referred

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to situations involving people! diverse people! in a very specific 'oral and values conte&t. 4

colleague fro' a great country I%' not telling now! recently told 'e how her 'other fed hi' 'orethan his sisters! so he could get strong and able to leave the countryto study in the U.S. :hat%s

absolutely unthin#able in 'y neighbor! but it see's thay thought differently out there. ,n the other

side! his fa'ily now receives a nice chec# fr' hi' each +uarter.

3or those that have a clear 'ind! I please write a boo# on what to do! and I-ll be the first to buy it.

4s a guideline! be sure your progra' has a diverse and well*built steering co''ittee! with 'ost

organi"ation-s areas and 'ain sta#eholders represented in it.

?ou can even propose an advisory group including as 'any sta#eholders as advisable (and

advisability is a balance a'ong consensus*reaching! diversity representation and ti'eliness. ?ou

shouldn%t proceed with a progra' intended to 'a#e culture changes without including the people to

 be affected! 5on 3or Profit relevant organi"ations and #ey local representatives (when applicable.4s a botto'line advice! try to 'a#e co''unications and trust possible. :rust has nothing to do

with si'ilar Ethics but with the certainty of good faith.

4nd when you need to bridge the gap and stay tactical! re'e'ber to never surre.nder and to

re'e'ber you%ll need to respond for your actions! sooner or later 

6eanwhile!

If you are going to go through hell, keep going.

-. 5hurchill

 6# o ###

3isit http&''gbdelivery.blogspot.com.ar'