The relationship between organizational rationality, project managers’ ethical orientation and performance of projects

Abstract

This research work examines the relationship between Organizational Rationality, Project Managers’ Ethical Orientation and Performance of Projects. This study examined the judgments of more than three hundred participants. Analysis results indicate that Ethical Orientation and Performance in situations of personal values are affected by Organizational Rationality Variables, such as Predictability and Control, in addition to other environmental variables like the professional Code of Conduct and Ethics instructions.

The concept of McDonaldization is used to describe formal Organizational Rationality covering four aspects or dimensions namely; Efficiency, Predictability, Calculability and Control. People who work in formal rational systems function more efficiently. They are trained to do the things in a certain manner. Predictability means that they know what they can expect. Calculability is about the spread of quantification, measurement and calculation through an organization. In a Company of formal rationality, control is exerted over the employees. In the following, we Adapt the concept of Formal Organizational Rationality (Ritzer, 2008), but we may for the case of simplicity mostly refer to it as Organizational Rationality, what has been suggested by various research model as of the base organization hence the relationship between formal Organizational Rationality of the base organization, Project Managers Ethical Orientation and how Projects Perform. If the base organization subscribes to a high degree of formal rationality, this would affect project work. If Standards, Rules, Regulations, and Control are an essential part of the daily life of the Base Organization, then it would show how it influences the Management of Projects.