Product Management and Social Work
A Quick Introduction to Product Management and Social Work
Product management may have begun with Neil H. McElroy, the previous president of Proctor & Gamble and United States Secretary of Defense under President Eisenhower, and his 800-word memo on “Brand Men” (https://www.mindtheproduct.com/history-evolution-product-management/).
These first product managers were deeply involved in marketing of the product (packaging, pricing, promotions, etc.), but left the development of the product to other employees. Eventually, however, as the product made its way into the technology field, the product management role came to encompass the product’s development, in addition to the marketing of the product.
Today, through evolution catalyzed by the Agile Manifesto (https://agilemanifesto.org/) and other developments, product managers are responsible for creating products that customers use and that align with the greater business vision. Furthermore, product managers do this by being evangelists of that vision and bringing in various stakeholders.
While product management evolved as a specialty within business, social work as a discipline has its roots in morality, created to help those that are in need. The field as we know it today evolved in the 17th and 18th century when laws were enacted to help those that were living in poverty.
Necessary Product Management Skills
Many different skills are needed for effective product management. Three of these fundamental skills include the interpersonal, strategic, and basic business and technology competencies (https://www.thebalancecareers.com/list-of-product-manager-skills-2062460) (https://www.productplan.com/learn/hard-skills-product-management/).
Interpersonal skills are necessary as product managers must effectively communicate across numerous disciplines (engineering, leadership, design, etc.). They must collaborate, negotiate, and work well within a team. Also, they must be open to feedback and practice active listening.
Strategic skills are also necessary as product managers must navigate the numerous requests coming from different teams and learn how to effectively decline requests. They must have a laser focus of the goal and how to get there, and create a clear road map for getting there.
Finally, product managers must have competencies in business, product management, economics and development . Although a computer science or MBA isn’t required, product managers must have fluency in these disciplines.
Transferable Social Work Skills
Social workers have many relevant skills that are transferable into product management.
First and foremost, social workers may excel in interpersonal communication — the word “social” is literally in the name! They practically have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in interpersonal communication. These classes include:
- Interpersonal communication (We are taught verbal and non-verbal body language, tone, etc.)
- Motivating others (classes on motivational interviewing, the role of the environment on the person, etc.)
- Qualitative research (we learn how to scientifically create experiments that test our hypotheses, which is a key part of user testing and validation)
- Personality (we learn how to effectively gauge a person through their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors)
Furthermore, the concept of empathy, which the Oxford Dictionary defines as “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another”, is a core theme of our work. As a result, we have a strong ability to connect with others.
Social workers are also strategic. Strategy is “a plan of action or policy designed to achieve a major or overall aim”. In social work, we balance numerous tasks, prioritize, and keep moving towards our aim. While in business this is referred to as “KPIs”, in social work our metrics revolve around our clients. Out of necessity, social workers have a laser focus and the skills to aim towards that goal.
Finally, we have the core competencies. Unfortunately, this is an area where many social workers may need additional education as business and technology courses are not usually a part of the social work curriculum. Fortunately, much of this education can be obtained effectively through platforms such as Udemy, Coursera, and edX.
Concluding Remarks
In conclusion, social workers have many transferable skills as they transition into product management. These transferable skills include strong interpersonal and strategic skills, which many social workers have gained and polished through numerous years of school, internships, and on-the-job experience. Social workers, however, will need additional education in technology and business if they are to effectively navigate this career transition.
