Organizational Movement
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Organizational Movement
The $200 billion Google Incorporation has been rated the number one company in terms of the “Best Place to Work” ratings (Fortune, 2011). This raises a question on what makes this specific company so great as compared to the rest. Well, Google thrives on an organizational culture that has existed since its inception. A multibillion-dollar company that was created from networking a few computers in the University of Stanford employs more than an approximated 20,000 people per annum. After it was founded in 1998 by the founding fathers Larry Page and Sergey Brin, it opened doors in the internet world connecting millions of people allover the world (Fortune, 2011). The values that were instilled by the founding fathers in the beginning of the organization have remained to be the core values that run it until the present day. The culture that is evidently presented in Google is an employee friendly corporate one that is centered on the happiness of both the user and the employees.
Discussion
The culture that is evidently presented in Google is an employee friendly corporate culture that is centered on the happiness of the both the user and the employees. The company is run by three main values. These fundamental values are ‘putting the user’s needs first’, ‘you can make money without doing evil’ and ‘you can be serious without a suit’ (Google, 2014). They act as the driving force in the running of this corporation, the mantra through which corporation is managed and authenticates the actions taken by the company towards ensuring its success. Google has a unique type of culture, which differentiates it from the rest. These attributes of culture are responsible for maintaining the top-notch performance of the corporation through its employees.
Diversity
The working force in Google forms the basic framework and the performance of the organization in the global market. The employees hired are intellectual and ambitious as the prime factor that acts as the criteria in selecting these workers is the capability to perform. Despite the fact that most of them are different in regards to race and ethnicity, they have similar aspirations and targets. The diversity present in the organization does not deter the workers from achieving their goals and ensuring that they perform to their level best. This diversity has seen the establishment of different ethnic and race based networks aimed at educating the workers on the varied cultures. These networks include the Asian at Google (AGN) and Blacks at Google (BGN) (Google, 2014). They allow employees from the mentioned races to form a community within the corporation and support diversity within it. The goal set by the BGN is attracting, recruiting and retaining the intellectual talented black people that apply to Google. The same is applicable to the AGN. The networks are outreach programs aimed at ensuring people from different cultures feel welcomed and comfortable working in the company. This makes Google an abode to innumerable communities of exceptional individuals.
Ethics and Character
In terms of ethics and character, the company is commendable as regards to instilling and maintaining discipline in its employees. The organization follows the belief that employment is based on ones merit and qualifications and not on their race or political affiliations (Jackson, 2013). There are stringent rules that prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind. This policy covers all employees regardless of their sex, religion, pregnancy status, medical condition, age, veteran status and color, and any other characteristics protected by the law (Google, 2014). This ensures all workers are considerate of each other and keep a high work ethic leading to excellent teamwork. The company can also be said to be an ethical entity owing to the fact that is runs on one of its core values that admonishes that one does not have to do evil to generate an income. This cannot be said for other corporations that exploit their users. Google is seen as a morally responsible corporation, which prioritizes the needs of it users first, thus it is not involved in exploitative activities. Unlike other companies who rely on complaints from activists in order for them to respond, Google aims at being responsible and accountable for all its actions due to its devotion to its core values.
Company Practices and policies
The company has weekly meetings whereby the workers are given a platform through which they contribute to the topic of discussion as equal partners. The employees are allowed to communicate directly to the CEOs, as well as top executives of the company on matters concerning the organization (Google, 2014). Such a practice embodies the workers and the various teams to which they are part. It flattens the ranks of the employers to the same level as that of the employees where everyone feels equal and can express him or herself freely without being intimidated by positions held by their seniors. It creates unification of the team players thus increasing the overall performance thus achievement of the set out goals. This type of freedom offered is a means of promoting interaction between the employees and the employers that is vital in any given company.
Technological Innovation
The policies in the corporation are used as motivational factors, which further enhance the creativity of the employees. One of those policies is the Innovation Time Out. This policy mandates the Google engineers to dedicate 20% of the time to their own projects while the greater part of the work time is devoted to working on the projects assigned to them by the management. This policy is known as the 70/20 rule and has been credited to being amongst the driving forces that has led to development of various products in the company (Jackson, 2013). This policy allows the workers to utilize the resources offered by the company thus no expenses incurred. It breeds ambition and competition between the workers and in turn activates motivation. The policy has seen the invention of products available in Google. They include Orkut, Gmail, Google News and AdSense, which were all developed by different individuals in the company (Google, 2014). Such policies that have led to the development programs that have continuously contributed to the success of Google are invaluable.
Policies and Culture that Guarantee Employee Satisfaction
The corporate culture of Google has also been greatly focused on the employee happiness. This can be attested to the fact that the company has hired people whose sole duty is to keep the work force happy and content with their working experience and environs. It offers numerous benefits and amenities best suited for the wide range of employees present in the company. These perquisites range from
- Gourmet made meals by the company chief chef
- Free medical covers inclusive of dental care
- Free laundry cleaning
- Massages and spa services
- Hybrid car funding of an approximate $5000
- Free salon and barber services
- Amenities such as swimming pools and gym at their disposal
- Assistance to the family incase of death
Besides the aforementioned benefits, the company has also provided lucrative packages that include a childcare center, social services on adoption and programs on financial management. This practice has ensured the company spends less on recruitment as it is able to retain its workers who have been satisfied by the benefits and amenities that are generously provided by the organization (Jackson, 2013). This has enabled the company to maintain its top ranking as amongst the best places to work.
Work Attitudes in the USA
The working attitude in the USA is based on individualism, freedom and capitalism. In America, any worker can rise to the highest ranks without being discriminated upon based on the affluence or background. The attitude that is clearly illustrated is that the success of a person depends on what they want to achieve and everyone has equal opportunities in the work place. This attitude by the American people welcomes diversity as the state is viewed as a land of equal opportunity. It has great impact on the diverse ethnic population with most graduates relocating to America to get employment and experience the positive workforce present in all establishments.
The
core values that Google has utilized has led to it advancement in the global
market as a company that puts the needs of its users and employees first. It has
a high ethic working culture that embraces people from all works of life. In
the global market as an internet search engine, it has surpassed the other
companies due to its high performance owing to its high retention of its
workforce. It is n exemplary company provides a guideline on the way to succeed
in a business enterprise.
References:
Fortune. (2007). 100 Best Companies to Work for 2007. Retrieved on April 23, 2014 from http://www.money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2007/snapshots/1.html
Google. (2014). Corporate Information. Retrieved on April 23, 2014 from http://www.google.com/corporate/culture.html
Jackson, L. (2013). The Real Secret of Google’s Corporate Culture. Corporate Culture Pros. Retrieved from http://www.corporateculturepros.com/2013/07/the-real-secret-of-googles-corporate-culture/