Google’s Struggle - Morning Star Self-Management Institute

Jun 23, 2009
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Self Management Institute

Numerous management books, and countless magazine and newspaper
articles, have examined Google's innovative way of organizing over the past
few years. Specifically, writers and academics alike have marveled at
Google's unique tactic for inspiring innovation: allow each employee
"flex" time--discretionary time that they can spend on the project
of their choice. As the project grows "legs" (that is, as it begins
to show some promise), it's the employee's responsibility to lobby his
co-workers and managers for additional resources.

It's a genius concept: we've always
intimated that when employees are allowed the freedom to direct their own
work, and to pursue their ideas, that they'll be more satisfied with their
work, AND they'll likely be more innovative. It's a fundamental principle of
Self-Management.

The thing is, Google has grown to a company some 20,000 people
strong. And, despite their innovative flex-time program, ultimately, in order
for a project to progress past the initial stages, it needs to be endorsed by
the company leadership (who then assigns employees to work on the project in
their non-flex time). Basically, the project can only go so far with a group
of employees committing their flex-time to the project; ultimately, it has to
pique the interest of someone up the chain of command, thereby
"legitimizing" the project.

What Google really needs is to fully embrace the principles of
Self-Management. A news story this week in the Wall Street Journal implies
that Google is starting to see some attrition (workers are leaving,
frustrated that they can't get their projects through the bureaucratic
red-tape, even at a relatively egalitarian company like Google). Worse, some
of these employees are taking their ideas elsewhere--to another
"start-up" company that'll embrace the concept and give it full
attention.

Google will be an interesting company to watch over the next few
years. They've been very successful at minimizing bureaucracy as they've
grown, but maybe they've reached the tipping point. The question is will they
recognize the situation for what it is, and expand on the principles that
have enabled them to be so successful for so long (the principles that are so
similar to those of Self-Management), or will they look elsewhere and fade
off into relative obscurity while some new start-up steps in and
out-innovates them?

Stay tuned...

Read
the Wall Street Journal story here

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