Should Product Management Have its Own Code of Ethics? with Anthony Murphy

Episode 8 • 2nd November 2020 • The Product Edge • Jade Bennett

We all have our own Code of Ethics; how we as individuals conduct ourselves. In the workplace there are laws that govern how businesses and their staff can operate. Doctors, Lawyers and Accountants are examples of professions that all have a Code of Ethics, and in this episode we ask: Should there be a Code of Ethics for Product Managers?

Joining Jade Bennett on this episode of The Product Edge is Anthony Murphy, a Senior Product Coach and Consultant who trains and mentors Product Managers all over the world. Jade and Anthony endeavour to answer the question on whether the Product Management profession should have its own Code of Ethics, including unintended consequences and product misuse.

Having spent the early part of his career in The Royal Military College, the topic of ethics and codes of conduct is something Anthony is deeply passionate about. With experience spanning across several industries, from start-ups to large corporates across the entire product life-cycle, he often partners with CPOs to help build product-led organisations and teams, working with leaders to embed this thinking and responsibility into their DNA.

In this episode we discuss:

✓ Should tech companies care about ethics?

✓ Are biases an ethical concern?

✓ Should Product Managers have a higher duty of care than a company’s profits?

✓ Tools to help you consider ethical factors in your daily practices

Access the resources mentioned in this episode and connect with us...

Resources:

Radhika Dutt’s article calling for an Hippocratic oath: https://productcraft.com/perspectives/the-hippocratic-oath-of-product-leadership/

Humane Tech: https://www.humanetech.com

Their canvas: https://www.humanetech.com/designguide

Ethical Product canvas: https://www.threebility.com/post/the-digital-product-ethics-canvas

Anthony’s blogs about 'the ethical economy' and why Product Managers and companies should care: https://medium.com/swlh/the-rise-of-the-ethical-economy-a4a7dc15939f?source=friends_link&sk=782d0b406fc86ad4c64d2ad9c30deb1f