1.1 Opening Case: Googleyness and Googlegeist
Google provides bikes for employees to use for transportation around its campus. As you can see from the picture, the bikes have Googleyness.
Source: Asif Islam / Shutterstock.com
Google is one of the greatest inventions in modern human history. Within seconds, Google searches allow us to find the answers to almost any question. However, Google’s success is due to more than technological innovation. It’s also a great place to work. They landed the top spot for six years running on Fortune’s list of Best Companies to Work For. In 2019, Comparably awarded Google fifteen of their Best awards, including Best Company for Diversity, Best Company for Women, Best Company Culture, Best Company Perks & Benefits, Best Company Compensation, and Best Company Happiness.
Google knows that to have the best available product for the consumer, they need to recruit qualified applicants who not only have excellent technical skills, but also are likely to make a positive contribution to the organization. As part of the interview process, applicants are asked questions to determine their Googleyness, which some describe as the ability to thrive in an environment of ambiguity, uncertainty, and change.
Once employees are hired, Google strives to keep them happy and engaged. The tech titan is famous for perks like free gourmet food, haircuts, and laundry services. Some might think that the company is just awash in money and can afford to pamper employees. But Google also takes a rigorous analytical approach to morale. Google calls its HR department People Operations, which most people in the firm refer to as POPS. They conduct an annual employee survey, referred to as the Googlegeist. It boosted its parental-leave policies, for example, after finding that mothers were leaving at higher rates. The result was a 50% reduction in attrition rates for working moms.
Google’s HR department has also taken an interest in organizational behavior and found that mid-level managers are vital to the success of the company. POPS determined this by looking at manager feedback surveys. They found that the highest-scoring managers had the best retention and performance rates because they were good at communicating and driving good outcomes without micromanaging. The low-scoring managers are sent to training, and feedback scores have improved as a result.
The HR department even analyzed the eating patterns of their employees in the cafeterias. POPS found that employees preferred the lunch lines to take between three to four minutes so that they could get their food quickly and also have time to interact with other employees they typically would not see. POPS also found that employees wanted long lunch tables so that people would be forced to talk to each other rather than just socializing within their own friend circles. To increase the health of their employees, POPs placed eight-inch lunch trays next to twelve-inch lunch trays because when analyzing the eating habits of their employees, they found that people were likely to eat smaller and healthier lunches when seeing the different-sized trays side by side.
Google understands that to maintain their dominance and innovation, they have to hire and retain the best employees because of the ever-growing competition between similar technology firms. They developed an excellent employer brand that attracts individuals around the world. People want to be part of the organization, its continuous innovations, and the highly talked about work environment. In addition, Google’s executive team recognizes and understands that organizations are more successful when they put their employees first and treat them like they matter. Elodie Lhuillier, the head of HR at Google Switzerland, says:
We’re very conscious of how big a role work plays in people’s lives and the importance of meaning within it. We want to be known as a company that genuinely values our people and gives them the freedom to amaze. Research tells us that organizations are more successful when they put people first, trust them and treat them like owners. It also shows that freedom-based organizations perform better than fear-based ones.
Google Wants to Know How a Candidate Thinks
Googlers Jodie and Kelsey share details about the general-cognitive-ability aspect of the Google interview process, Googleyness, and a sample Google interview question.
Case Discussion Questions
Do you think Google’s success could have been achieved without engaged employees?
How might the employer brand impact your decision whether to go to work for a particular organization?
If you were interviewing for a position at Google, how would you respond to a question about your Googleyness?
Can Google’s approach to perks be applied to all companies? For example, if a company is strapped for cash, what innovations might they implement without increasing expenses?