Product managers are no strangers to change. Over the last two decades, their role has evolved, first to accommodate the cloud transition, and then to take on a more comprehensive, “mini CEO” portfolio of integrating customer-led design and more agile DevSecOps (development, security, and operations) practices.
Product managers must now reshape the contours of their role yet again. Growing societal concerns about privacy, sustainability, and inclusion—the three factors associated with responsible stewardship—have taken on unprecedented significance in recent years. Customers, regulators, and, ultimately, corporate bottom lines demand it.
Product managers are uniquely positioned to navigate these complex issues due to their cross-functional, linchpin role. However, according to McKinsey research, privacy, sustainability, and inclusion are not major strategic priorities.
When it comes to how much product managers prioritize these three areas, they all trail behind performance (Exhibit 1). “There’s a lack of alignment, agreement, and urgency among people in the product space about how to create responsible tech,” said one product leader we spoke with.
McKinsey conducted interviews and focus groups with several dozen senior product leaders, as well as surveys with more than 50 others, to better understand current attitudes and approaches. According to the responses, each dimension of responsible stewardship presents its own set of challenges and opportunities.
