The culture concept evolved to conceptualize humankind’s diversity, it asserts that we socially construct different understandings of nature and hence of the reality that surrounds us (Buchanan & Huczynski, 2004). Culture is ubiquitous, exists everywhere and has a significant influence. It affects not only the visible parts of individuals (behaviour and action) but also the invisible ones (beliefs and values). This complex interaction, which takes place on different levels, between individuals and groups within and with other organisations, can be seen as the primary determinant of behaviour in the workplace. The patterns of interaction between people and the external surroundings represent a complex environment which influences behaviour in organisations.
Therefore, more and more managers are talking about changing their culture, creating a new culture, figuring out the impact of their culture, or preserving their culture. In this paper, the main focus is to define organizational culture and determine its influences on companies’ performance. Firstly, there are several related questions that will be discussed: What is organizational culture? What are the key elements of it? How is it formed and can it be managed to contribute to a firm’s performance? Secondly, we take a closer look at Google’s organizational culture and research, to discover whether there is a link between its culture and its performance. Finally, a conclusion is drawn about the culture-performance link and the difficulties associated with this topic.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Organizational Culture
2.1 What is organizational culture and what are its key components?
2.2 How is an organisational culture formed?
2.3 Can organisational culture be managed? How does it influence a firm’s performance?
3. Google’s Organizational Culture
3.1 Short overview – Google Inc.
3.2 The key components and values of Google’s culture
3.2.1 Physical Objects
3.2.2 Behaviour Patterns
3.3 Values that lead to creativity and a willingness to perform
3.4 How Google’s culture contributes to its success
4. Conclusion
5. Bibliography
Objectives and Topics
This paper aims to define the concept of organizational culture and analyze its impact on company performance, specifically through the lens of Google Inc.'s corporate environment. The research explores whether a strong culture can be intentionally managed to enhance organizational success and employee productivity.
- Theoretical definitions and components of organizational culture.
- The relationship between leadership, culture formation, and business performance.
- Examination of Google’s unique, unconventional, and risk-taking office environment.
- The role of "physical objects" and "behavior patterns" in shaping Google's innovative culture.
- The correlation between employee satisfaction, "20% time" initiatives, and corporate success.
Excerpt from the Book
3.2 The key components and values of Google’s culture
Google's mission and corporate philosophy, which includes the statements: "You can make money without being evil," and, "Work should be challenging and the challenge should be fun," illustrates a somewhat more relaxed corporate culture. Hence, it leads to Google’s organizational objectives: creating higher productivity, performance, creativity and innovativeness of its products and services (Lee 2006, pp.59-72).
Google believes that an organizational culture and values represent its main spirit, beliefs, assumptions, attitudes and performance; that is, the norms of conduct and values are created by the entire staff in the production processes. This implies that the integrity of employees’ values and attitudes towards positive behaviors are very important to Google; such as high loyalty and commitment. Therefore, Google attempts to establish an innovative organizational culture to create a motive power to meet its organizational objectives (Lee 2006, pp.59-72).
Google is famous for its unconventional, risk-taking and relaxed office culture which is operated mainly by its top management. Google’s main core value is emphasizing ‘a belief in people’, aligned with its belief that ‘people come first’ (Lohr 2005, C8). Google’s mottos are indicative of its belief in keeping its employees satisfied and enjoying their work leading to greater productivity, as well as, commitment and loyalty toward the company. Thus, the benefits package and working environment must be tailored to its employees to make them ‘achieve a good work-life balance which is at the heart of Google’s culture’ and its slogan: ‘happy at work’ (Employer Profile–Google, 2005).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the ubiquity of culture in society and organizations, establishing the focus on defining culture and its impact on corporate performance.
2. Organizational Culture: This section covers theoretical frameworks regarding how organizational culture is formed, its key components, and the academic debate on whether it can be managed to influence performance.
3. Google’s Organizational Culture: This chapter provides an overview of Google Inc. and conducts an in-depth analysis of its culture, categorized by physical objects, behavior patterns, values, and its contribution to success.
4. Conclusion: The final chapter summarizes the complexity of linking culture to performance, acknowledging the difficulties in measuring these relationships while highlighting the observable success of Google’s cultural strategy.
5. Bibliography: This section lists all academic sources, reports, and news articles used to support the analysis throughout the paper.
Keywords
Organizational culture, Google, corporate performance, organizational behavior, employee satisfaction, innovation, work-life balance, management, leadership, organizational socialization, physical objects, behavior patterns, "Don't Be Evil", creativity, corporate identity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
The paper examines the nature of organizational culture, its theoretical background, and how it is manifested and managed within the specific case of Google Inc.
What are the primary themes discussed?
Key themes include the definition of organizational culture, the influence of founders, organizational socialization, the debate on "strong culture," and the specific practices at Google that foster innovation and employee commitment.
What is the main research question?
The research asks how organizational culture is defined and formed, whether it can be managed by leadership, and ultimately whether there is a measurable link between culture and a firm’s performance.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The work utilizes a literature-based theoretical review of management and organizational behavior theories, combined with an applied case study analysis of Google's corporate documents and media reports.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body investigates the three-level model of culture (artifacts, values, and assumptions), the specific amenities and behavioral norms at Google, and the effectiveness of their "20% time" strategy.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Organizational culture, corporate performance, Google, employee commitment, innovation, and management strategy.
How does Google apply the "20% time" concept?
Google allows employees to spend one day a week on self-selected research projects, which serves to drive innovation and increase employee satisfaction and retention.
What role does the "Chief Culture Officer" play at Google?
Designated in 2006, this role was created to maintain Google's unique "anti-corporate" and "no evil" values as the company grows and becomes more corporate in structure.
Why is measuring the link between culture and performance so difficult?
As noted in the conclusion, researchers argue that culture is multidimensional and difficult to operationalize, making it challenging to isolate its specific contribution to financial or operational success.
- Quote paper
- Marco Hierling (Author), Yu-Chen Yeh (Author), Chloe S.Y. Tai (Author), Jennie Lang Yu (Author), 2007, Organizational culture and the case of Google, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/76814
