Business : Organizational Environment - Assignment Example

Organizational Environment: A Case for Google, Inc. Introduction Google, Inc. has been identified as one of the best organizations in the world to work for. In fact, according to Fortune 500, Google tops the list for the best organizations to work for in the world. One of the things that set Google, Inc. apart from the rest of the companies in the world is its organizational culture. From the very beginning, Google, Inc. realized that, its success could only be realized through the use of innovation and delivery of revolutionary products.

Not only did the firm require innovation, it required it continuously rather than as a one-off achievement. As Tellis (2012) puts it, being in the technology industry, and where growth was at a rate of almost 100% annually meant that, the firm had to know how to innovate new products at a very high rate. Google’s culture and organizational structure is the core of its success in innovation. Innovation as the centre of Google Inc Google culture of innovation has helped it to become the best company in its industry.

The company has grown so much that it has dwarfed all its competitors in the industry. At the centre of this growth lies a culture of innovation. Innovation has become the spine that holds the firm up. In this kind of an environment, each employee in the firm is regarded as a great asset and their creativity and innovation is always explored and used to the best of the firm. This not only provides for a breeding ground for innovation, but also creates a supportive work environment where the workforce is happy to work due to the amount of autonomy they are given in the workplace.

Workplace diversity One of the things that strike anyone investigating the company is probably the diversity of the employees. Google, Inc. has one of the most diverse employees in the world and this makes the firm to have a global perspective. With these employees coming from all over the world such as India, and China, the firm is able to capture the needs of the global market and develop products, which are in line with these needs. Google, Inc. also realized the need to have Asian employees in the firm, because they are known for their prowess in the area of technology.

This is especially in information technology. Some of these people were headhunted from places like India and China, and have been very important in making sure that, Google has become the best firm in the world. In Google, Inc., the employee’s background is not important, and the level of education or ethnic background is not given importance. Rank in the firm also matters less as long as one is able to provide the firm with innovative solutions. As long as one can deliver what is expected of them, they will have a place in Google and contribute to the growth of the most respected organizations of the 21st century.

Using a non-hierarchical structure It is believed that, Google, Inc’s corporate structure was inspired by the one used by Intel Inc. Intel was formed by Robert Noyce and his seven colleagues. Noyce is believed to have been one of the earliest Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who realized the importance of forming an organization that did not have a hierarchical structure. In such an organization, it does not matter one’s level of education, or rank in the firm. What really matters is the creativity and innovativeness of an individual.

Google, Inc. adopted this kind of organizational structure, and it has made it possible for everyone in the organization to contribute to the organization’s growth. By remaining with a non-hierarchical structure, the firm has been able to create a platform where everyone is able to bring their ideas to the table, and these ideas to be used as part of the firm’s development. This is also very supportive of the newest and youngest employees in the firm. This open and flat culture of the organization is then combined by Google’s “Innovation Time Off” that refers to each employee being given at last twenty percent of their time in office to pursue projects of their own choice (Mediratta, 2007).

By providing these two important platforms to the employees, it then becomes very easy for the employees to be creative and to bring in new innovations to the firm. At present, Google, Inc has hundreds of products most of which are very useful to the users and, therefore, helping Google to satisfy its mission, which is to make the worlds information useful and easy to access. Most of these products have been as a result of making Google’s workplace supportive of innovations (Time Magazine, 2013).

Taking care of employee needs One thing that Google has been known for is probably its ability to take care of its employees. At any day in the workplace, an employee has access to a full buffet of food and other provisions such as entertainment and games. The food for instance, is also provided with the consideration that, there is diversity of culture in the firm and, therefore, food from all major cultures is provided. Google takes care of its workers so well that, an employee at Google may even have his or her clothes washed at work while they are concentrating on their work.

This idea is derived from Abraham Maslow’s (1987) work, which indicated that, an individual’s needs keep changing from one level to another and that, the motivation of an individual corresponds to these needs. By taking care of the mundane tasks of the employees, Google knows that, the employees will have the peace of mind and time to concentrate on more important issues, which is to deliver more useful products, which make the firm even more successful. The American dream Google Inc. also operates under the concept of the American dream.

The American dream is the guarantee that, anyone can be successful regardless of their background in terms of social-economic as well as racial and ethnic factors. The American dream is a promise to an individual that, if they work hard and diligently, they will be sure to reap the fruits of their labor. This American concept is very evident in Google Inc. in a number of important ways. First, the firm is one of the firms in the USA with the most diverse workforce and this means that, Google Inc.

never considers whether one is an American, or what kind of an American one is. In Google Inc., what matters the most is one’s contribution to the organization and everything else comes later. At the same time, the employees are guaranteed that, they will benefit proportionally and equitably from their hard work and this is important in making sure that, the employees are encouraged to work even harder in their endeavors. Hard work and innovation is also another part of America’s work ethic and this has helped America be the source of most of the innovations of the 20th century as well as in this still young 21st century.

Americans are inspired to be innovative and very creative in the way they do work. The American work ethic is also based on the attitude towards finding solutions for the various problems. These attitudes, when applied in the context of the American dream are what have made USA to be a leader in IT and innovation. Google is one such product of the American innovative and hard work mentality. Apart from that, Google Inc. is itself a proliferation of the American innovative and hard work mentality and the American dream.

This has helped Google Inc to be one of the most respected firms of the 21st century and its success is expected to increase with time. Conclusion Google’s organization structure has affected its culture in a very fundamental way. The open culture found in Google has been a major source of the firm’s innovation. This is because the employees are give the freedom to be creative and to innovative. The flat structure of the firm also makes it possible for ideas to be shared and developed into useful products.

Google is, therefore, a good example of how firms should approach their human resource management in order to get the best from it. References Maslow, A. (1987). Motivation and Personality. New York City, NY: Harper and Row. Mediratta, B. (2007, October 21). The Google Way: Give Engineers Room. Retrieved April 16, 2014, from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/21/jobs/21pre.html Tellis, G. (2012). Unrelenting Innovation: How to Create a Culture for Market Dominance. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Time Magazine. (2013, January 10). How to Develop a Culture of Innovation. Retrieved April 16, 2014, from Time Magazine: http://business.time.com/2013/01/10/how-to-develop-a-culture-of-innovation/