Google is a renowned multinational technology company that offers internet-related services and products, ranging from search engines to cloud computing. The company’s success is attributed to implementing various fundamental management principles, such as planning, organizing, leading, and controlling, that are properly integrated to meet the employer’s and employee’s needs. For the last decade, Google has been ranked among one of the best companies to work for (Worstall, 2013). Google’s employees like the company culture because it emphasizes collaboration and open communication, and everyone is encouraged to share their ideas and opinions.
Google is known for its distinctive corporate culture, which can be attributed to various factors. According to Council (2018), what sets Google apart is the company’s willingness to allow employees to have flexibility in their work schedule and work in a way that suits them, leading to increased creativity, productivity, and engagement. Another key aspect is creating an enjoyable work environment with perks like dog-friendly offices and recreation facilities, boosting employee happiness and satisfaction and increasing productivity.
Google’s culture also emphasizes hiring people with similar goals, promoting collaboration and innovation, and trusting employees to perform above and beyond. The company is dedicated to employee well-being and growth, providing benefits that align with their needs. The company’s mission is “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” Its vision “to provide access to the world’s information in one click” gives employees a sense of direction and purpose (Google’s Vision Statement & Mission Statement, n.d.).
Google’s approach to planning is centered on setting clear objectives and strategies to achieve them. For example, the company developed a detailed plan to attain carbon neutrality by 2022 to promote environmental sustainability. Google adopts a flat organizational structure prioritizing transparency, collaboration, and innovation. This structure allows the company to respond quickly to market changes and encourages employee creativity (Worstall, 2013). Furthermore, Google’s People Operations department focuses on cultivating a positive work culture and supporting employee development, resulting in high job satisfaction and low employee turnover.
Google’s leadership style is grounded in innovation, creativity, and risk-taking. The company fosters a culture of experimentation and calculated risk-taking to facilitate product and service improvement. For example, Google’s “20% time” policy allows employees to spend 20% of their workweek on personal projects (Worstall, 2013). Google’s controlling process relies on data-driven analysis to monitor and evaluate performance, ensuring that objectives are met, and strategies are effective. This data-driven approach enables the company to accurately measure performance, make informed decisions, and maintain its leadership position in the technology industry.
Google’s profile
Google is a global tech company created in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The company ingrains its mission and vision into its culture and values, promoting innovation, creativity, and collaboration. Google showcases initiatives aligning with its mission and vision, such as investments in renewable energy. It also engages stakeholders to understand and incorporate their needs into its mission and vision. These actions inspire employees and stakeholders to work towards achieving Google’s mission.
One of Google’s biggest strengths is its management. It has fostered a culture of innovation, promoting agile decision-making and empowering Google’s employees to take risks and experiment with new ideas (Smithson, 2022). This approach has enabled the company to stay ahead of the competition, anticipate market trends, and quickly adapt to changing business conditions. An excellent example of how management helped Google execute its management plan was when it launched its android mobile operating system. Google’s management recognized the potential of the smartphone market and decided to develop an open-source operating system that could compete with Apple’s iOS (Tran, 2017). They delegated the responsibility of creating this new platform to a small team of engineers and allowed them to experiment with different ideas and approaches.
Google’s management has created an organizational culture that encourages competitive innovation. Its company culture fosters a competent workforce that can effectively address business needs related to external forces such as competition (Smithson, 2022). For example, Google encourages employees to take ownership of their projects and gives them the autonomy to make decisions. This has resulted in a culture of innovation and creativity. The tech company actively enhances its corporate cultural strengths through formal and informal measures, including employee training and personalized leadership and management support.
The role of Google’s management in the decision-making process is to ensure that decisions are made using specific decision-making models, such as rational decision-making and data-driven decision-making (Tran, 2017). The company encourages employees to use rational persuasion and data to influence each other rather than relying on gut feelings. In meetings, employees are expected to use data to support their arguments and are not allowed to use “I think” statements. This helps to ensure that decisions are based on objective data and analysis.
Google’s management has used the four functions of management – planning, organizing, leading, and controlling – to establish a culture that values ethics, transparency, and employee well-being. The management team has developed long-term strategies that align with the company’s core values and are reviewed regularly to ensure they adhere to ethical principles (The 6 Surprising Questions That Ensure the Effectiveness of Google Management, 2019). The structure promotes employee empowerment and autonomy, encouraging a culture of transparency and accountability. Ethical leadership is emphasized, and a code of conduct prohibits discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, with systems in place to investigate and address violations. This approach has resulted in a positive impact on employees, creating a work environment that fosters productivity. It helps Google attract and retain top talent, thus maintaining its position as a leader in the tech industry.
Google strategically uses human resources to develop its personnel through employee training programs, leadership development, and mentoring. These techniques help employees acquire the necessary skills and knowledge, feel connected to the company, and prepare for management positions (Smithson, 2022). This approach enhances the company’s business processes by creating a continuous learning and improvement culture, promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing, and developing strong leaders.
Conclusion
Google’s success can be attributed to its adherence to fundamental management principles such as planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. The company’s culture emphasizes collaboration, open communication, flexibility, and trust. Google’s decision-making strategies align with a systems thinking approach, thus promoting rational and data-driven decision-making while fostering a competent workforce that can effectively address business needs related to external forces such as competition. Google encourages employees to experiment with new ideas and take calculated risks, which fosters a culture of innovation. This approach enables the company to anticipate changes in the market and adapt to new challenges. For example, Google’s development of the Android operating system for mobile devices allowed them to compete with Apple’s iOS and gain a significant market share (What is Google, 2019).
Google’s management has created an organizational culture that encourages competitive innovation and empowers employees to take risks and experiment with new ideas. The company’s leadership style is grounded in innovation, creativity, and risk-taking, allowing for product and service improvement. Google’s approach to planning is centered on setting clear objectives and strategies to achieve them. The company’s flat organizational structure prioritizes transparency, collaboration, and innovation, enabling the company to respond quickly to market changes. The controlling process relies on data-driven analysis to monitor and evaluate performance, ensuring that objectives are met and strategies are effective. If optimal performance is not met, Google takes corrective actions to align performance with its objectives. It is clear that Google’s management has developed long-term strategies aligning with its core values. They are reviewed regularly to ensure they adhere to ethical principles, promoting employee empowerment, autonomy, and a culture of transparency and accountability.
References
Smithson, N. (2022, July 15). Google’s Organizational Culture & Its Characteristics (An Analysis). Panmore Institute. https://panmore.com/google-organizational-culture-characteristics-analysis
The 6 Surprising Questions that Ensure the Effectiveness of Google Management. (2019, July 17). Get Lighthouse. https://getlighthouse.com/blog/google-management/
Tran, S. K. (2017). Google: a Reflection of culture, leader, and Management. International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, 2(1), 1–14. Springeropen. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40991-017-0021-0
Council, E., Forbes Technology. (2018). Council Post: 13 Reasons Google Deserves Its “Best Company Culture” Award. Forbes. Retrieved March 11, 2023, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2018/02/08/13-reasons-google-deserves-its-best-company-culture-award/?sh=fc647b234828
Google’s Vision Statement & Mission Statement. (n.d.). https://www.honkamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/1b-Google-Vision-and-Mission-Statement-Article-1.pdf
What is Google? (2019). What is Google? Computerhope.com. https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/g/google.htm
Worstall, T. (2013). Lessons From Google’s Management Style. Forbes. Retrieved March 11, 2023, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/06/21/lessons-from-googles-management-style/?sh=6186c1f56034
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