The 20% rule is no longer valid in Google
The notorious “20% rule” was once cited as an example of an effective approach to innovation in Google. In accordance with it, each employee of the company had the right to devote 20% of the working time, that is, one day a week, to third-party projects not related to the main activity.
Thanks to the 20% rule, such projects as Gmail and AdSense, as well as hundreds of small projects, many of which went to Open Source, came into being. The 20% rule is the most famous rule of Google, which is most often copied by other companies.
However, according to several former Google employees, the twenty percent rule is no longer practiced in the company. He was sacrificed for efficiency, in accordance with the new corporate strategy.
Cancellation of the “20% rule” began with the fact that in 2012 it was decided that employees would now need to receive permission for third-party projects from the manager. Thus, the previous rule was abolished, that it is an inalienable right of every employee.
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Then, Google formed a powerful analytical department that analyzed staff performance. To work with maximum efficiency, employees need to give 100% of their time to the main project, so very few people decided to apply for the opening of the project according to the “20% rule”, and this was not encouraged by managers.
The new policy of the company is connected with the arrival of Larry Page in the post of executive director in 2011. He announced that the company should concentrate more resources on a smaller number of projects, after which periodic “stripping” began - the removal of unpromising and “extra” services, which were not efficiently spent on labor resources. Among other things, the Google Labs project was also closed, under the roof of which concentrated many small projects created in the “free time” of employees.
Of course, innovations in Google continue now, but they have become more controllable, and work has become more efficient. Within the framework of the new organizational structure - the Google X research and development center - work is underway on projects such as Google Glass and unmanned vehicles. Similar projects cannot be created in “20% of free time”.
The only question is what now to do to numerous companies that have copied from Google its famous rule. According to rumors, among them Apple, LinkedIn, 3M and many others.
Thanks to the 20% rule, such projects as Gmail and AdSense, as well as hundreds of small projects, many of which went to Open Source, came into being. The 20% rule is the most famous rule of Google, which is most often copied by other companies.
However, according to several former Google employees, the twenty percent rule is no longer practiced in the company. He was sacrificed for efficiency, in accordance with the new corporate strategy.
Cancellation of the “20% rule” began with the fact that in 2012 it was decided that employees would now need to receive permission for third-party projects from the manager. Thus, the previous rule was abolished, that it is an inalienable right of every employee.
')
Then, Google formed a powerful analytical department that analyzed staff performance. To work with maximum efficiency, employees need to give 100% of their time to the main project, so very few people decided to apply for the opening of the project according to the “20% rule”, and this was not encouraged by managers.
The new policy of the company is connected with the arrival of Larry Page in the post of executive director in 2011. He announced that the company should concentrate more resources on a smaller number of projects, after which periodic “stripping” began - the removal of unpromising and “extra” services, which were not efficiently spent on labor resources. Among other things, the Google Labs project was also closed, under the roof of which concentrated many small projects created in the “free time” of employees.
Of course, innovations in Google continue now, but they have become more controllable, and work has become more efficient. Within the framework of the new organizational structure - the Google X research and development center - work is underway on projects such as Google Glass and unmanned vehicles. Similar projects cannot be created in “20% of free time”.
The only question is what now to do to numerous companies that have copied from Google its famous rule. According to rumors, among them Apple, LinkedIn, 3M and many others.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/190362/
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