Schmidt’s description of the Google Culture does make sense
to me, especially for the type of culture that Google encourages. While I am not an engineer, I recognize that
many different professions and the people working in those professions respond
and work in various ways that require different management approaches and cultural
needs. At Google, the methods that Schmidt
discusses as being successful tools for Google’s culture make sense because
that culture functions in a way that is successful and beneficial for the
employees (engineers) within that culture.
Google is a company that is focused on technology and people, so having
a recruitment process and company culture that functions in a way that supports
this goal is hugely beneficial in today’s global market. It is important to match your culture with
your goals and values, and to do that, hiring and recruiting becomes very
important. By providing a collaborative
working environment, but also giving the employees the space they need to do
their own interest benefits both Google, and their employees. Because the culture needs to be in line with
the values and goals of the company, each organization will require different
tools for accomplishing that. I don’t
necessarily think this plan would work in every sector, but it’s important to
note what is successful for some companies, and learn from their methods.
I think empowering employees is a new phenomena that is
difficult for a lot of leaders to accept because the hierarchal approach to
management just isn’t working for every company anymore. With that said, I think Google is an
organization that is paving the way for new types of organizational structures
and cultures to be developed through the use of different management
approaches, including employee empowerment and managing less. There is always a level of uncertainty when a
new idea or concept is applied, especially to an organization the size of
Google – a lot can be effected, so I do think it takes a certain level of
courage to implement these organizational changes when not many organizations
are taking this path. It’s what
separates innovative companies from the slow moving companies.
There is always a level of risk to implementing these
changes, especially when there is not much to base it off of or study, so there
is always a chance for it to backfire.
Google had to first establish the foundation of their company culture
through hiring and recruiting and I have no doubt that they experienced
problems and issues while in that process. Because they had issues, they were
able to learn from them and improve, making the chances for long-term success higher.
Overall, I think it is really important as a leader, to make
sure that the foundation and root of your success lies in the culture of your
company. Recruiting and hiring is so
different than it was a decade ago and the knowledge that people can bring to
companies mixed with their ability to fit within the culture of the company is
crucial in recognizing as a hiring manager.
I realized this for the first time when I was hired right out of college
to a larger company. I saw all of the
conflicts and negativity that came with the company and realized they weren’t
recruiting with the company culture in mind.
They were looking for talent, but with talent can come clashes of
different opinions. If the company
hasn’t set up a strategy for dealing with these clashes, it can be difficult to
be productive, which is exactly how my previous company was. Seeing companies like Google and smaller
start-up tech companies recognizing that employee happiness and engagement can
be handled and encouraged through focusing on the culture of the company is one
of the most important strategies that a management and leadership team can
benefit from when developing a strong core.
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