Corporate Culture: Google Case Analysis

Introduction

Corporate culture usually relates to share company or organization goal, same expectation, attitudes, and practices that characterize of a corporation and outline its nature. It is often rooted with an organization’s structure, strategies, way of operating organization, approaches of employment, customers and as well as investors for creating a greater workplace community. It is necessary important part of organization having a closely discussed concepts, corporate direction focuses to lead an organization or business success. “Corporate culture refers to the beliefs and behaviors that determine how a company’s employees and management interact”.

Google Inc. was officially born in August 1998, after Sun co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim caught attention of the demonstration Google’s search engine using PageRank technology and offered $100,000 investment. Larry Page and Sergey Brin are the founder of Backrub which was later renamed to Google. Google Inc began as online search engine, which celebrating 21st birthday as 2019. Google is a fast-moving multinational tech corporation that specialized in internet related service and products.

It’s Product and Services offering includes Search Engine, language translate, Chrome Internet browser, Google Maps, YouTube., Chromecast, Connected Home, Pixel mobiles and tablets, Google WIFI, Android OS, Wear OS, Chromebook, Gmail, Google Duo, Google Drive, Hangouts, and for business such as Google Cloud Service, AdSense, Analytics, Google My Business and venturing into more smart technology related solutions.

In August 2015, Google split up and became multiple subsidiary companies owns by Alphabet Inc. New CEOs for the companies appointed for managing subsidiary Google Inc. In light of the rapid technological development involved in the industry and the aggressiveness of competitors, Google’s corporate structure is expected to continue changing as a way of maintaining the company’s global market position. However, in this specific business case, the company maintains flatness as a major factor that influences functions throughout the corporate structure.

As it referring characteristics restructuring resources and processes based on business function. These characteristics of the company’s corporate structure influences business processes, such as top-down and bottom-up communications, as well as strategic management to solve problems encountered at various level of Googles’ organization. The restructuring features address the need of develop innovative and competitive products such as Artificial Intelligence, Cloud operation.

Alphabet’s individual divisions have flat organization structure and this provides business a ramification of benefits like lack of work, high level of flexibility and effective two-way communication between senior management and various staff.

Justification of Chosen Theoretical Framework

The focus of this case analysis is to identify the company culture practice of Google Inc.

The chosen theoretical framework will be Edgar Schein’s Cultural Model which applicable to Google Inc with their corporate mission which emphasizing “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful”. It relates of Edgar Schein’s Cultural Model which defines the culture of a group as “A pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it solved its problems of external adaption and internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems”.

Google Inc corporate culture motivates employees to share information for the purpose of supporting innovation and learning organization. Some of the culture benefits for Google’s employees like having free foods, relaxing area, flexible working hours, pets’ zone, entertainment zone and more. Whereas Hofstede’s cultural dimension may not be applying for this study because it is understanding that the statistical survey as carried our should make everybody aware that people in other countries may think, feel and act very differently from individual, even when confronted with basic problems of society. Hofstede framework is also known as national culture which used to identify the differences of culture across countries and to discern the ways business is done across different culture.

Therefore, Hofstede’s framework couldn’t be applying on Google Inc as reason of being more practices transparency and employee priority which makes them most desirable workplace. ”Google is not a conventional company. We do not intend to become one. Throughout Google’s evolution as privately held company, we have managed Google differently”.

Main Concepts of Google Inc Corporate Culture

Google Inc’s success is linked to the effectiveness of its organizational structure and organizational culture in supporting excellence in maximize innovation. Qualities are enduring convictions which impact the general population in the association. It manages how the association shows up in open eyes. Edgar Henry Schein (conceived March 5, 1928), a previous Professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management, is known for his work in the field of hierarchical improvement, all the more so in zones, for example, vocation advancement, ability the board, bunch elements and social improvements.

Edgar Schein’s Organizational Culture Model recognized three particular levels in organizational societies: ancient rarities and practices, upheld qualities and suspicions which came to be known as Schein’s three degree of authoritative culture.

Artefacts and symbols, which conjointly outline the artefacts mark the surface of the organization. They are the visible components within the organization like logos, design, structure, method and company dress code. Google Inc has superb workspace; associate degree might observe that it’s a very friendly place to work, where various type of amenities like endless meals, free cooking classes, gyms, massage for destress, free shuttle bus, and all are provided to its staff. There aren’t solely visible to the staff however conjointly visible and recognizable for external parties.

Next, Espoused Values, this issues standards, values and rules of conduct. However, will the organization categorical methods, objectives and philosophies and how they are measured. Problems could arise when the ideas of managers are not in the line with the basic assumptions of the organization. This is like having generous reward systems, lean organization culture, open informal or formal communication, extremely cohesive and cooperative smaller autonomous groups and high level of worker authorization. Google’s leader perceives that an organization culture isn’t about the statement of purpose or how much income was acquired in the past. Where it’s about the qualities held dear by the organization and its representatives. In a nutshell, of its great organization culture draws in top ability and prompts cheerful representatives.

Lastly, basic underlying assumptions, which are deeply embedded in the organizational culture and are experienced as self-evident and unconscious behavior. Assumptions are hard to recognize from within. The founders of Google have deliberately maintained the culture of the organization kind of like university culture to create more sustainable young innovation talents from university to Google Inc as swish as attainable. According to Moore (2011) Google doesn’t attract the Googler with best supported a high salary; rather, they are drawn to the casual work atmosphere and thin hierarchy. Many would argue it’s attributable to their relaxed and flat structure, where it is compatible with Generation Y desire workspace. Eaves believes that young, gifted 20-somethings don’t need to – rather, they won’t interested with nine to five traditional office working hours job. The Generation Y have been raised during the era of social networks, video chatting, instant e-messaging, the “Creative Class” demands that most common public service shed its layers of hierarchy.

The onion models which was most of time referring as Schein’s Organizational Cultural Model. The external layer is genuinely simple to adjust and simple to change. The more profound the layer, the harder it progresses toward becoming to modify it. Profoundly inserted in the center of the onion we discover the suppositions.

Around the center we discover the qualities. The ancient rarities and images can be found in the external layers of the onion and these can be changed all the more effectively. Between this layer and the layers wherein the qualities are implanted, there might be another layer where we discover the alleged “legends”; individuals who play or have assumed a significant job in the association and who are appreciated.

The center of the onion is comprised of suppositions. There are about “how the world works” as indicated by the every one of the general populations who have a place with the association and originate from encounters and observation. There have incompletely turned out to be oblivious suspicions and they are viewed as undeniable along these lines they need not be examined.

Analysis of the Corporation Practices

According analysis from Forbes Technology Council (2018), Google Inc the giant tech corporation has been named the best corporate culture. Primary reasons Google Inc is leading the corporate culture and why so many people envy the organizations atmosphere:

• Flexibility work schedule
• Freedom for creativity or innovate
• Fun and excite working workspace
• Friendly atmosphere
• Focusing on Googler satisfaction

According to Schein framework, first layer which the artifacts defines that Google, create a work environment, flexibility of working hours, communication hierarchy culture and encourages sharing and caring. Ten Value of the organizational which focus on user experience and provide best user experience whenever design new Google Chrome, continue to solve complex issue and improve service like Gmail and Google maps. Understand that time is a valuable, so to provide emphasis and correct result as fast as possible. Besides that, Google are people orientated where Highly collaborate where they value individual’s opinion or encourage feedback about their idea. Assumption that culture practice of Googler having better flexible and friendly environment makes stays in organization and brings more productivity to the company. Assumption also represent the actual values of a culture, where often not visible to contributors of the way of life and are usually bad described. Espoused value might also on occasion not correlate with assumptions, which might also cause inefficiency, loss of morale and frustration.

The founders of Google have intentionally maintained the way of life the organization just like university subculture because to maintain the less corporate type of environment as majority of the Googler are talented teenagers from reputable university around the world. A few criticism in this type of organization culture are also referred to along with the absence of a clear control shape due to the informal subculture it adopts and poor worker relations and work ethic.

A part of that, an article By Martin (2014), studies told us that Google’s model of work culture and motivation. Culture is way of life gathered characteristic of shared learning group as its solves its issues of outside adjustment and inward combination; which functioned admirably enough to be viewed as legitimate and, in this manner, to be educated to new individuals as the right method to perceive, feel, and carry on in connection to those issue. This amassed learning is an example or arrangement of convictions, values, and conduct standards that come to be underestimated as fundamental suppositions and, in the end, drop out of mindfulness.

The hiring system incorporating both recruitment and ideal strategies that involves 3 capacity steps which analyzing, recruiting and interviewing part of the Google HR practices commonly average company does. However, utilize the absolute best in light of the fact that gathering individual need to concede to every individual that is employed. The hiring boards of trustees at Google are normally comprised of pioneers in the particular association doing the enlisting. As value or belief of trust leader, often in an organization good leadership has to take risk and do something different to adapt innovation.

Holton, (2014) defines that “Adaptability of culture are those who encourage risk-taking, encourage failure as to learn from experiment, initiative of individual, sharp and quick analysis decision and ability to identify unique opportunities.

Conclusion

Google founder leads the organization with none traditional hierarchy and emphasizes Googler towards Learning Organization concept. Creating a learning-centered work culture isn’t that vital unless one would like to draw attention in expertise or talents and providing your staff with tools to achieve success and business growths. Because Google corporate culture innovates product and solutions that clearly to target millennial gen for their creativity and internet technology era. Peter Senge who introduced “The Learning Organization” based on five disciplines. In article by Sharma (2017), tells that 5 of following disciplines based on Peter Senge’s Practice for learning organizations.

1. Systems Thinking - also known as the collaborative learning culture. This discipline is the opposite four disciplines to change a learning organization to be realized. There should be a paradigm shift from being unconnected to interconnect to the full, and from blaming issue on one thing external to realization that however, we do tend to operate, our actions, will produce issues.
2. Personal Mastery – Mindset Lifelong learning. It is the personal level of discipline, whereby learning organizations need a forward-thinking mentality. In line with Senge, this involves personal mastery by deepening individual vision to develop or self-generated energy of mastering some practice.
3. Mental Models – Room for Innovation. It is considered mental model must first learn to evaluate and acknowledge challenge on the far side unfavorable behaviors.
4. Share Vision – Forward Thinking Leadership. It is understanding that to have forward-thinking and enthusiasm the same goal or vision.
5. Team Learning – Knowledge Sharing. Collaboration is the key for team learning, whereas collective issue and knowledge sharing infrastructure.

A learning-focused organization knows that to get information to stick and be useful to its employee it must distribute material in a way that makes sense for the task and in a push or pull style. A strong learning culture is accomplished mainly by making sure employees feel safe to ask questions and talk about their ideas without feeling as if they might be called ignorant. However, in Google Inc, they valued failure as a learning process to do things right.

Informal and continuous learning are now not just an ordinary thing but a highly encourage part of employee growth and one that is organized into systems as much as formal learning. Google have actually begun giving their employees time to pursue their own interests and have reaped the benefits of a workforce that feel valued and nurtured. Because a successful company doesn’t merely just provide formal training but cultivates a system that creates continuous opportunities for learning.

Examples of formalized informal learning would include coaching, support tools, and training that can be requested at any time. In conclusion, as part of making Google Inc culture practice more effectively, “System Thinking” is recommended Senge (1992) accept that “System Thinking” is the foundation of Learning Organization. The flexibility to ascertain the bigger overall picture, and to differentiate patterns rather than conceptualizing modification as isolated events. Learning Cultures practices informal training, learn experimental, flat hierarchy like manager coach employee, takes risks, routine review of activities, and decision based on empirical data.