Google: What They Say and What They Do
Brumbaugh, Robert Blaine
COM 530
June 11, 2012
Bob Kolber

Abstract

This paper is about the culture and communication methods of Google. It will start with an explanation of Google’s organizational culture and values. The following section will explain the role of communication within the organization. Including how communication is affected by the organization’s culture, and the role it plays in perception of the culture. The final sections will talk about misalignments between espoused and enacted values.
Google’s Culture and Values

“It’s really the people that make Google the kind of company it is.” ("Our Culture", n.d.). The people who work at Google are smart, determined, and from various parts of the world. The company hires people based more on their ability instead of their experience. They also maintain an open culture that allows for communication with everyone else in the company. “Googlers” as they call themselves, can even ask questions directly to Larry Page, the CEO of Google. The company values the input and diversity of its employees. It’s the input and diversity that fuels the innovation that the company is known for.
Communication and Culture

“One of the key reasons for Google's success is a belief that good ideas can, and should, come from anywhere.” (Mayer, 2005). Google supports an all channel style of communication, meaning that everyone can talk to everyone else. This open communication and culture allows everyone in the organization to come up and voice their ideas for the company. These ideas could be new services, or maybe ways to cut back on spending.

This ties into their culture because Google execs believe that this style of communication channel will help keep people relaxed and feeling like they are an important part of the company. Being relaxed can help the creative juices flow and allow for more ideas from all areas of the company, allowing for more innovation.
Espoused Value of Innovation

Having a very diverse group of employees, an open channel of communication, and trying to make sure everybody is relaxed and comfortable helps create the innovation that Google prides itself on. Google has come a long way from being just a search engine back in 1998. It has evolved into one of the leading companies on the web today. Today you can use Google Map to find directions, Google Documents for all of your text files and spreadsheets, and Google+, which is Google’s social media engine that is very similar to Face Book.

There are even a number of books that talk about Google’s success. These books include What Would Google Do?, Planet Google, Google Speaks, and Inside Larry and Sergey’s Brain. All of these books seem to have the same story focusing on Google’s ability to generate ideas. According to Kirby (2009) “"Google's lesson is clear," writes author Jeff Jarvis in his advice to car companies, restaurants, universities, charities and even governments. "Make innovation your business."”.
Where It Really Comes From

Is it because of innovation that Google has come so far in the past 14 years, or is there something else going on that isn’t as obvious? The answer is something else, and that something else is primarily take over’s. "Once you go beyond their basic search engine, a whole lot of the Google products we're familiar with came into the company through acquisitions rather than internal development." (Kirby, 2009)

That’s not to say that’s all Google does. There is still a good amount of innovation with what Google does with the technology it acquires. A good example is back in 2004 when Google purchased Where 2 Technologies and Keyhole, which gave the foundation for Google Maps and Google Earth. Google took what these two companies did and expanded on them. Like the Street View feature of Google Maps.
Is There a Misalignment of Values

Google prides itself on being an innovator. This is what they portray to others. People think that Google comes up with these new products on their own. The actual history of Google shows that they have made their living by buying out other companies and using what these other companies started and working off that.

However, there really is not that much of a misalignment between what Google says and what it does. They may not come up with every idea completely on their own, but they do take what they acquire and are innovative with what they do to it.

The execs at Google know that in order to stay in business, they need to continuously come out with new services. They also know that building everything from the ground up can be very time and money consuming. By taking these little shortcuts of buying out companies and using their technology, then building onto it, Google can save a lot of time and money.
Conclusion

The employees of Google enjoy an open and relaxed culture. This culture helps them to stay innovative, and come up with new ideas. The openness allows them to communicate directly with anybody else in the company, including the CEO. The reason for the openness of communication is that the execs at Google believe that good ideas can come from anywhere. It also makes each individual feel like they are important and a part of the team.

Google cannot come up with everything on its own though. The company has a history of buying out other companies and adding onto what they acquire. This helps save the company time and money. Being innovative with what they acquire and treating their employees the way they do is what makes Google the web giant that it is today.

References
Helft, M., & Hempel, J. (2011, November). FaceBook vs. Google the Battle for the Future of the Web. Fortune, 164(8), 114-124.

Kirby, J. (2009, October). How Google Really Does It. Canadian Business, 82(18), 54-58.

Mayer, M. (2005, October). Managing Google's Idea Factory. Businessweek, (3953), 88-90.

Our culture. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.google.com/about/company/facts/culture/