Social responsibility in product management is no longer moral luxury

In the product management triangle — desired by the customer, feasible, and economically viable — social responsibility is not explicitly included. We certainly ensure that we solve real customer problems in a way that pleases users and serves our company well. However, social responsibility is not mentioned in these models.

Is that why so many successful technology companies are causing social and, in some cases, environmental issues? At least the nostalgia and technology dreams of the early twenty-first century have faded away. The fact that not everyone benefits from companies like alphabet, airbnb, uber or meta has reached the broader society. It is no longer okay to create benefits for customers at the expense of society and the environment in complex globalized and legal shadow zones.

The influence and responsibility of product management

In an enlightening presentation that is well worth watching, Cennydd Bowles makes the case for product management’s responsibility for the social injustice that has been created. Being a bit provocative, he portrays product managers as the main cause of the ills in the technology industry. However, his arguments are logical and plausible. Product management, more than any other role, can help steer products in the right direction or refrain from doing so. They are the ones who ultimately allow racist AIs, toxic attention algorithms to run on social media, or shortages of rental housing. It is irrelevant that this happens unintentionally. Those who bear responsibility do so broadly, not just for the intended consequences of their actions.

It is therefore necessary to counter this problem by including other groups in product decisions in addition to customers and the company itself. These include the group of non-customers as well as other creatures and the environment in general. If we were to include them in product decisions, we could develop products that take account of our social responsibility.

The economic view of social responsibility

The mentioned crises are increasingly taking on an economic dimension as well. For years, our largely humanistic and well-informed society has become increasingly critical towards all kinds of injustice. This has an impact on consumer behavior and thus on investors and companies. They recognize that responsible practices also represent an economic advantage. Studies and competitors show that customer loyalty, price-sales curves and growth opportunities increase with the social responsibility of companies and products. Thus, social responsibility must increasingly be considered as part of the business case. However, this is difficult to implement with traditional methods in product development processes.

New methods for considering social responsibility

Including social responsibility in product development means broadening the perspective at all levels. Thus, conscious or unconscious negative consequences of our decisions can be identified and neutralized.

• Adapted product principles include aspects of social responsibility in the guiding framework of product development.
• Extended goals or OKRs define key figures against which social responsibility can be measured.
• The strategy takes into account various levels of social responsibility — from possible competitive advantages to the decision about which partners to work with or on which foundation further development should take place.
• When exploring problems and possible solutions, new stakeholders can be included who are concerned about social issues and those of the environment.
• All models used can be adapted to cover social responsibility aspects as well.

In late 2021, Toughworks released the freely available Responsible Tech Playbook. It includes a set of different methods that any company or team can apply directly. These methods can help analyze development processes in terms of potential ethical and social challenges and start on the path to more responsible product use.

Those who have the responsibility should use it. As a product manager or product leader, you have the power to influence the future by the way products are built. Which future do you choose?

First published by Traian Kaiser on Medium