PMHUB-G Will the new PMP Exam include ethics questions for non-profit board members?

Dear friends,

 

Having failed in my efforts to convince the board of directors of a local 501(c)6 professional league organization that requiring members to travel to a specific hotel in order to vote is an implicit poll tax, I found a way to vote remotely by cancelling my membership in that local organization.

 

Without naming names, I think that individual board members who would vote to impose such an implicit poll tax by a permanent change in that organization’s bylaws and then permit only those members who are able to travel to that specific hotel to vote on those change and/or cast ballots should resign or be replaced.

 

Such policies suggest to me that the majority of the leadership team trying to impose such a policy is either selfish (elitist) and/or stupid (incompetent) because the weighted average travel distance surely is greater than 20 miles (each way). At $0.50 per mile the travel cost alone of casting a ballot would average at least $20 excluding the value of the individual’s travel time to and from the voting location.  Those who travel for work likely would be under-represented.

 

The carbon footprint alone of such a policy is sufficient to call into question the competence and/or motives of those supporting such a policy.  Each thousand ballots likely would involve 40,000 commuter miles driven in large city traffic plus a thousand hours of lost productivity.  What kind of reputation does that create for the “professional” community involved?

 

Can you imagine what the outcry would be if a large organization (e.g. the Project Management Institute) would require members to travel to Newton Square, PA in order to vote?

 

In most professional societies, speaking out on such matters would be an obligation (or at least an implicit responsibility), and those who care most about the integrity and/or reputation of the organization would be among the first to engage in passionate discussion toward resolution.

 

If you encounter such an organization and wish to avoid being subjected to the time-consuming task of defending yourself against ad hominem abusive attacks (e.g. being accused of violating the organization’s code of ethics), you might want to consider following my example and cancel your local membership or transfer your local membership to different local chapter or section that lets you vote without driving to a hotel.

 

In most cases, local chapter or section affiliation transfers can be completed quickly by calling the member services department at your organization’s headquarters.

 

I would be interested in hearing your thoughts.

 

Best regards, David

 

PS:  Members of our free LinkedIn group (“PMI Dallas Area Members, Alumni, & Friends”) can share heartfelt opinions without being persecuted.

 

David J. Lanners, MBA
CFPIM, CIRM, CMQ/OE, CQA, CQE, PMP

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