Be like Google, be better than Google

Google quickly became one of the most recognized companies in the world. Founded in 1998, the company currently has more than 50 thousand employees, and has a market value in excess of $ 350 billion. This is simply incredible growth, given the fact that the company does not even have some 20 years.

What is even more surprising is that Google remains at the forefront of astonishingly multiple innovations. He still feels like a small company in many aspects, which allowed him to be at the forefront of the ultra-competitive environment without being bogged down in bureaucratic procedures or policies.
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Of course, having an almost unlimited supply of funds, you will not suffer much, but many other companies, with exactly the same capital, fly like plywood over Paris. In fact, Google is doing extremely well many things, and further along, I will try to focus on this. Especially on how you can use Google’s experience in managing a large organization. Since Google is still a private company, not everything can be taken literally as a guide to action, but given the pragmatic nature of business structures, you can learn a lot about the feasibility and benefits. If we recall that Google is a technological giant, much can be learned about the introduction of new "parts" and the work of the existing technologies.

1. First of all, the core business must be flawless.

On the surface, it may seem that Google is simultaneously doing a million things, participating in many areas, from broadband access in the provinces and virtual reality to ambulance cars with autopilot. All this became possible thanks to the company's main business - search and advertising. Advertising still accounts for most of the company's revenue, and according to internal corporate research, Google accounts for more than 10 percent of all advertising expenses in the United States.

Google knows this, and in spite of everything continues to fulfill its tasks perfectly. Considering how much advertising has changed over the past two decades, this task is not an easy one. Although understanding the core business is still half the battle. The correct concept and work based on this situation makes life easier for any business. This is not always obvious, but when considering any business of Google, you can see that it is somehow connected with the main activity of the company.

Government agencies should do the same. The management needs an understanding of their core functions and their meticulous execution. Impeccable performance of its role makes it possible to do other things. This approach provides a solid basis for making strategic decisions. Without the notion of basic goals, it is very easy to spray on side tasks, which ultimately will lead to the fact that not a single task will be executed properly. And this is sad.

2. Work with talented people

Hiring talent is hard, just because it's hard to find. Mediocrity draw itself. Talented people rarely get up on their knees and are almost always obstinate. Even if this happens, most of them despise outdated and mundane bureaucratic concepts that prevail in many large companies and government institutions, so they are carefully avoided. Google understands this and, if necessary, goes to great lengths to get the right person, giving it the opportunity for self-realization, because for a talented person it is much more important than money. For this, the search engine has a whole breakthrough of personnel specialists.

Government agencies and corporations should adopt a similar approach. You should not stoop to announcements about hiring at public transport stops, but a stupid “bounty hunt” is unacceptable. Most organizations know what they want from an employee, and today we have the opportunity to hire just the one you need. So why is the civil service and big business still subject to obsolete hiring standards?

3. Focusing on data

Google has one of the largest and most complex data centers in the world. His business model is based on the storage and analysis of huge amounts of data, and I think that this is “an open secret” absolutely for everyone. The most interesting thing is how the company receives this data. Google buys some of them, but gets more through their products and services. Data collection is built into any Google product (and the main one, as you remember, is a search ). Often we don’t give ourselves this report, but if we’ve run out of toilet paper, most likely “Google knows ..” There’s nothing wrong with that, we just all have to remember this (I'm not paranoid, nothing superfluous, but some of my friends stick the camera on laptops, if they do not communicate on Skype).

In fact, I believe that state offices and other “heavyweight” organizations should take this approach as the basis of their activities. They should collect data, and would like it to be with our permission. Each time with interactive interaction, offices must save data, even if they do not know why they need it. Saving data is a priority. The more data, the more accurate the decisions made on their basis.

4. Project teams

The concept of special project teams is nothing special, but its implementation may be somewhat more complicated than it seems at first glance. However, this does not apply to Google, who mastered this art. Each new challenge, Google delegates to the right employees. The company finds people with the necessary skills and passion for the subject, more importantly. At the same time, teams get almost complete freedom to implement ideas and fully concentrate on this.

Many companies and government agencies are also trying to use a similar approach, with one difference, no one exempts from the current duties of employees, which virtually eliminates the whole positive effect of the methodology. Thus, for the successful implementation of ideas in this way, a temporary reassessment of employees is absolutely necessary. Concentration on the project allows you to speed up the implementation and validation of its viability. Extremely rarely positive results are obtained at the exit, performed a little later, of long-term construction. In addition, daily tasks may suffer from overlapping. Do you need it?

5. Dedicated time for innovation

Many of us are familiar with the twenty-percent time-sharing rules on Google and the innovative products that came out of it. For those who do not know, I explain that Google allows its employees to spend up to 20% of their time on third-party projects of interest to them. Gmail and AdSense became the brainchild of this policy. The end result of this provision is a side project culture.

Something similar could be done in any company. Maybe in the corporate depth of your office a new project is latently matured?

6. "Flights to the moon"

In 2010, Google created a dedicated research lab, Google X. In some respects, this is similar to the next stage of the 20% policy. Most of the crazy projects (called moonshots inside Google) were invented here. From this lab, ideas often find their way back into the world, both as subdivisions of Google and as subsidiaries.

7. Operate with beta versions

Google is known for extensive beta testing of some of its products. Gmail existed as a beta for five years, and Google Docs for three years. During this time, Gmail acquired more than 100 million users, which was not prevented by the beta label. Beta is good because users forgive some mistakes, and the product continues to improve. In the culture of technology startups, the concept of beta is ingrained. Many companies launch products with limited functionality or possible bugs for transmission to the world. Thus, they can receive feedback for more precise product setup and elimination of errors.

LinkedIn co-founders Reid Hoffman says: “If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you started too late.” It is much easier to release MVP, and then release patches and fixed releases. Moscow, too, was not immediately built.

And finally

Looking at the business model of Google, you can see that it works as a collection of small heterogeneous companies, as evidenced by the latest steps in reorganization (Alphabet). The restructuring of Google has served both financial and legal business goals, and to preserve the logic of the work of all departments as small innovative companies. This has been Google since its inception.



If large private corporations or government agencies adopt at least some of the listed equipment, much will change. Most companies do not have such resources, but with the right goal , you can get a route to it through the intersection of innovation and motivation, and this really makes the world a better place.

And don't forget - “don't be evil!”