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

Hi David,

While I certainly can commiserate with you, once we fully understand the nature of these “professional societies” as being nothing more than a form of trade union, designed first and foremost to protect the interests of those who formed them, it becomes much easier to appreciate why they do the things they do.

Some selections from my PhD dissertation “Is project management a profession?  And if not, what is it” should provide some insight as to the thinking behind your legitimate and valid complaint.

And yes, I agree FULLY with you that the way to express your concerns is to VOTE WITH YOUR FEET- that is, find other organizations which share the values and standards you hold.

Eliot Freidson (1970), argued that the “professions differ from trade unions only in their sanctimoniousness”…..

 

And Haga (1974) in particular, although a rather obscure researcher, published a pithy and hard hitting description of the difference between true professions and ‘would be’ professions in the Management Quarterly Review. In this article he noted:

The utility of distinguishing between the true professions and merely ‘would be’ professions can be appreciated when one looks at why so many occupations pursue the elusive status of profession. Here are the chief things that occupational groups seek when they undertake ‘professionalization’:

– Above all else, they want AUTONOMY. That is, they want freedom from supervision in carrying out their jobs;

– They want RECOGNITION based not upon the name of their employer, but upon their identity with their occupation;

– They want the POWER to determine who is ‘in’ their occupation from those who are ‘out’;

– They want to establish a MONOPOLY over a certain line of work, freeing it from influence of ‘outsiders’ (mostly employers, but also clients and the general public) who do not share or necessarily understand the ideology;

– They want the POWER to discipline wayward colleagues who deviate from their work ideology. (p. 4)

Haga (1974) goes further to explain that:

there is no denying that once autonomy is achieved, greater success in negotiating for monetary rewards will likely follow. While money cannot be totally dismissed as an important professionalizing force, establishing autonomy becomes the means to that end. (p. 4)

But even more relevant to project management, Haga (1974) states:

the chief means of maintaining autonomy is INTIMIDATION. The essence of truly professional behavior lies in intimidation – of clients; of employers; of whatever audience stands to threaten a profession’s autonomy. (p. 6)

From: pmhub@googlegroups.com [mailto:pmhub@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of David Lanners
Sent: Sunday, August 07, 2011 09:57
To: pmhub@googlegroups.com; pmhub@yahoogroups.com
Subject: PMHUB-G Will the new PMP Exam include ethics questions for non-profit board members?
Importance: High

 

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

Gratias ago ergo sum
"I thank therefore I am."

** THE BEST COMPLIMENT I CAN RECEIVE IS A “THANK YOU” **

 

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