The Corporate Culture of Google and the Core Principles That Drive Them - Essay Example

? Organization’ s Culture Evelyn Hernandez The Corporate Culture of Google and the Core Principles That Drives Them The Corporate Culture of Google and the Core Principles That Drives Them If there is a company whose corporate culture is as innovative as its products and services, it would be Google. Google is a company that started as an internet search engine in 1996 under its previous moniker “BackRub”. Two years later in 1998, it evolved into Google as we know it today and grew by leaps and bounds. It launched dozens of innovative products and services, including online advertising services applications, such as Gmail, Google Map to Google Plus as among of its few of its innovative products. From its few employees, Google has now leapt to a gargantuan organization of 20,000 plus employees (Google). The company however strove to avoid the culture of being big and always actively maintain that “small feel company”. Google as a company always strove to ward-off conservatism that can be seen as companies mature. “We are actively trying to prevent middle-agedom,” explains Eric Schmidt, Google’s current chief executive (The Economist). And this youthfulness which had brought in innovative products such as Google Maps is best reflected in its corporate culture to reinforce the mindset that made it what it is today. Google’s distinct, perhaps unorthodox culture can be readily observed in its headquarters in Mountain View, California which Google calls its campus as Googleplex-a combination of the words “Google” and “complex” (Google). It actively creates an environment of interaction among its employees where it offers its employees to eat free in its coffee stations to have conversations. It also creates diversity just like its products and services with its game rooms that has pool tables, video games and ping-pong, and yes, it even has a baby piano. It also promotes a culture of openness with very few solo offices where Googlers shares cubes, yurts and huddle rooms (Google). Dogs, massage chairs and large inflatable balls are also okay. The list on how distinct its offices maintain a youthful ambience can go on and on. Google’s youthfulness and innovative culture is not only limited on how its offices are set up. What appears to be play is in fact a continuous search for perfection beginning in its hiring process where it favors ability more than experience. Moreso when hired, because Googlers, a Google employee is often called, is not strapped with a single repetitive function but wears several hats. This actually grows with how things are set up with Google offices and those free cafes have their purpose. It provides an avenue for cultivating ideas that may become the next big innovative product. This is further reinforced with the openness of its leadership which it also actively promotes a cultivating environment. In a Google environment, “no one, no one hesitates to pose questions directly to Larry or Sergey in our weekly all-hands (“TGIF”) meetings – or spike a volleyball across the net at a corporate officer “ (Google). Perhaps to better understand its seemingly age proof and unorthodox corporate culture, it would be insightful to examine closely its core values that drives its action and the company’s culture. Google’s core principles that drives it corporate culture can be summed up as follows (Google); 1. Focus on the user and all else will follow – before doing anything, Googlers think about the end users welfare first. 2. It’s best to do one thing really, really well – even as it embarks on other products such as Gmail and Google Maps, Google knows what it does best – to search. And knows how to do it well and better. 3. Fast is better than slow – perhaps the best representational product of this core value is its internet browser Chrome. Chrome beat all its competitors for its speed and is the preferred internet browser of almost everyone due to its speed. This core value is always considered every time a new product is being developed. 4. Democracy on the web works – this core value enable Google to assess which sites offer content and value when it ranks it in its search engine. 5. You don’t need to be at your desk to need an answer – Google recognizes that the world is being mobile. This is being reflected in its offices where laptops abound either for mobile coding to taking notes. Its workstations are often shared which reflects its culture that an employee can work anywhere. 6. You can make money without doing evil – this spells out Google’s business ethics in a language and manner that is reflective of its culture. 7. There’s always more information out there – which is why it prefers ability over experience knowing that ability can articulate the endless possibilities of the internet. 8. The need for information crosses all borders – Google knows that internet is not limited by borders and such, it does not restrict its content written in their own language “ and aim to provide the rest of our applications and products in as many languages and accessible formats as possible” (Google). 9. You can be serious without a suit –challenge should be fun and Google does not have to be in a suit to meet its challenge. 10. Great just isn’t good enough – great is only a starting point, not the end in itself. It sets its goal that cannot be reached yet but it stretches itself to meet so they can get further than expected. These core principles created a work environment that even Fortune magazine and CNN acknowledges enabled Google to be the top 4 company to work for in 2009 (CNN). It may have become “big” but had always maintained a “feel” of small company where innovation thrives. It also pays well and its benefits extend beyond medical and health coverage to onsite children facilities. As one of its employees posted on its blog “Google is a faith based initiative. If you treat your employees exceptionally and give them room to breathe, then they will reward you exceptionally (Kaushik). Perhaps the only discontent in Google’s corporate culture is its dissatisfaction with the way things are done that it drives the company to continuously find ways to improve it. References: CNNMoney (2009). 100 Best companies to work for. Online. Available at < http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2009/index.html>. Retrieved on November 10, 2011. Google (2011). The Google culture. Online. Available at < http://www.google.com/about/corporate/company/culture.html>. Retrieved on November 10, 2011. Google (2011). Life at Google. Online. Available at < http://www.google.com/intl/en/jobs/lifeatgoogle/> Retrieved on November 10, 2011. Google (2011). Our philosophy: Ten things we know to be true. Online. Available at < http://www.google.com/about/corporate/company/tenthings.html>. Retrieved on November 10, 2011. Kaushik, Avinash (2008). 10 Insights from 11 months of working at Google. Ocam’s Razor. Online. Available at < http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/10-insights-from-11-months-of-working-at-google/>. Retrieved on November 10, 2011 The Economist. Google’s corporate culture. Creative tension: the internet giant seeks new ways to foster innovation. Online. Available at < http://www.economist.com/node/14460051>. Retrieved on November 10, 2011. Read More