Google Company Motivation Theory

Keywords: herzberg theory of motivation case study

Google company is an American multinational corporation. Google company also provides Internet-related products and services, including software, internet search, advertising technologies, and cloud computing. Google founders are Larry Page and Sergey Brin with both attended Stanford University. Since Google was founded in September 4,1998, it grown to serve hundreds of thousands of customers and users around the world. It is initial public offering followed on August 19, 2004. Google name is by Larry and Sergey searching from engine. It is a play on the world “googol”, is from the mathematical term for a one followed one hundred zeros. Google company founded in Menlo Park, California, U.S.

In 2004 on April Fools’ Day, Google release Gmail. Gmail approach to email included many features like threaded messages, speedy search, huge amounts of storage. Google acquired online video sharing site is YouTube in 2006. Video are uploaded to site every minute. The company provides online productivity software including social networking, email and an office suite.

Google products develop to the desktop as well, with organizing and editing photos, instants messaging and applications for web browsing. Development of the Android mobile operating system is lead by Google. Google Chrome OS browser only operating system, founded on specialized netbooks call Chromebook. It has been estimated to run over one million serves in data centers around world. It is process over 1 million search request and about 24 petabytes of user generated data everyday.

Google employ employee which are have ability like determined and smart, commend ability over experience. Googlers have set common objectives and visions for company. It come from all walks of life and speak many of languages, response the global audience that it serve. Google try hard to keep the open culture frequently associated with startups, which everybody is an actual contributor and opinion and feels comfortable sharing ideas. Google have their own office and café. Their offices and café have designed to encourage interact between Googlers within and across teams to spark conversation about work.

SECTION 2: CONTENTS

2.1 Identify and explain the relevant principles and concepts of management are applied in the Google Inc.

2.2 To analyze and discuss the company’s practice in relation to the selected topic

Google Inc is a worldwide company that has strong practices in diversity. This international company is known by everyone and used by many people every day. Actually, Google Inc focuses the workforce diversity in their company due to the reason that Google Inc has over 70 offices in more than 40 countries and its customer base is so diverse. The workforce diversity defined as similarities and differences among employees in terms of age, cultural background, physical abilities and disabilities, race, religion, sex, and sexual orientation. In Google Inc, they have to make sure diverse the employees come from different background and unique knowledge. This is because they need to support and fit in the need of the diverse customer base.

The advantages will be bringing to the Google Inc through the company apply workforce diversity. First of all, the workforce diversity increases creativity within the company because heterogeneous groups are generating different and unique ideas with the Google Inc. As more diverse ideas are suggested, the chances of finding a workable answer are improved. In atmospheres when brainstorming is necessary, more ideas are formed because team members are culturally diverse. Moreover, the diversity in viewpoint also is the advantages. This is because Google Inc hired the employees come from different culture or generation which will help the company to get diverse viewpoint from the employees.

However, the workforce diversity also brings the disadvantages to the Google Inc too. The competition rather than teamwork is the disadvantages of the workforce diversity because diversity can cause competition among worker. If the employees of the Google Inc are not open to accept other culture, they may bring negative effect to the business. For example, they are working together to finish their work but they will work separately which prolong the process. Next is the impaired freedom of speech. In this type of setting, Google’s staffs cannot just cracked jokes, tell stories or state the opinion whatever you want because the worker might be judge as being discriminating.

According to the Two Factor Theory of Frederick Herzberg, people are influenced by two factors which are hygiene factors and motivation factors. The hygiene factors defined as needed to ensure an employee does not become dissatisfied. Moreover, the typical of the hygiene factor which included working condition, quality of supervision, job, company policies and administration. The motivation factors are needed in order to motivate an employee into higher performance and the typical motivation factors included achievement, interest in job, growth and responsibility for task. In this case, Google Inc. is using this two factor theory concept in their company and to make sure the employee enjoy the working environment during their working time.

The Google Inc. has provided an awesome working place and benefits to their staff and the benefits of the Google Inc are among the best in the world. Google Inc has applied the fun and laughter at workplace. For example, Google Inc. has prepared fun stuff around the office, including bocce ball courts, bowling alleys, and a giant climbing wall. Furthermore, the pool tables and video games also available in many place for the staff to use. Next, they also prepare the gourmet food as free for their staffs. Google also set a room which provides massage chairs that you control while you view relaxing aquariums for relaxations uses.

Google Inc. through two factor theory may bring some advantages to their company. First of the advantages is the employees become more efficiency and creative because Google Inc create a fantastic working environment to their employees. In this case, we know that the Google Inc is a high technology company and their staff always need a relaxing environment to create something new ideas. Furthermore, the advantage is to prevent the staff resign because hiring a new staff and training them need a lot of time. From this case, this goes to the loss of the company directly which many a time goes unnoticed and the Google Inc. also can not ensure efficiency from the new staff.

Next of the advantage is prevent the loss of Google Inc.’s knowledge. This is because Google Inc often spends much time and money on the employee in expectation of the future return, but the employee had left, he takes with his valuable knowledge about the company or past history and the investment is not realized.

However, two factor theory that performed by Google Inc. have disadvantages. First of all, it has waste the money of the Google Inc. This is because it cost the company a lot of money to set up or establish all the facility and it cannot make sure the employee be more efficiency on their work. Moreover, the staff also cannot complete their work on time when they were addicted by the all relaxing facility.

Next the management theory has apply in the Google Inc is Theory Y by Douglas McGregor. The Theory Y can be defined as an idea that shows the positive view of the worker and assumes employees may be ambitious and self-motivated and exercise self-control. It also implies the optimistic management theory that employees are generally creative and view work as fulfilling. Actually in the Google Inc, they offer a creative and participative atmosphere that to stimulate employees to be productive in achieving the organization’s goals.

The Google Inc. performs this Theory Y because their tasks tend to more flexible and innovative. Besides, their company always needs the new concept and idea to support their current situation on the world and work hard to keep the new technology going. For example, Google Inc. is using this Theory Y as their leadership style and less supervise their employees. In this situation, it is very work to the Google Inc. and always achieves the goal set by them.

The Theory Y also brings some advantages to the Google Inc. First of the advantage is employee can easy to get the new idea. This is because they can play hard and get rest at their workplace and those can getting the new inspiration when they are enjoy the game or relaxing. In this case, a Google’s manager has mention that “idea does not come always when you sit at your desk”. So, it is very effective to Google Inc’s worker. Next of the advantages is the staff has ability to make a good decisions. This is because the manage less to supervise them and not under pressure or micromanage, it may let the employee can do their best and ability to solve the problem them face by themselves.

On another hand, the Theory Y used by the Google Inc has disadvantages too. The disadvantages is it may cause some task cannot complete on time. This is because no all the worker will be ambitious and self-motivated so it will affect the task cannot going on smoothly. In this case, it will also let the company loss the time and the money.

According to Ghee Soon Lin, Robert L. Mathis and John H. Jackson (2010), “Recruiting is the process of generating a pool of qualified applicants for organizational jobs. However, recruiting is also about to finding qualified applicants, a task that often requires much more than just running an ad in a newspaper. The recruiting can just a set of function involve coordinating internal openings, handling the flow of candidates data, dealing with regulatory reporting, and moving candidates through the system.”

Google Inc. tends to use the external recruitment source compare with internal recruitment source. External recruitment is when the business looks to fill the vacancy from any suitable applicant outside the business. Internal recruitment is when the business looks to fill the vacancy from within its existing workforce. This is because the Google Inc. always set up a new offices around the world and they need more talents work in their company. Actually, the Google Inc set up over 70 offices in more than 40 countries currently.

For the external recruiting, Google Inc has expanded to university universe nowadays. Google Inc is also recruiting college grads from schools other than the usual suspects such as Stanford, Carnegie Mellon and MIT. Colleges such as the University of Victoria in Canada and Emory University in Atlanta rarely saw Google recruiters in the past. But now it is more common. The company is spreading its recruiters out among more schools, rather than concentrating them at the most elite universities.

The pro for the external recruitment is it will bring fresh employees and talents. By using the external recruitment, Google Inc will be able to get the new talent and ideas which are beneficial to their company’s development and growth. Besides, external vacancies create opportunities to find more high qualifications and experienced staffs which are needed in the team. The diversity of employees helps to form a stronger team and they are able to work more effective. Subsequently, it will stimulate growth and advancement of Google Inc.

In contrast, the disadvantage of the external recruiting is having higher cost compared internal recruiting. Hiring externally is costly as the company need to spend a lot of money on the aspect of advertising, recruiting and interviewing. Besides, it is also time consuming. This is because the company need to hire the expert people which not original in the part of the organization. To ensure not to hire the wrong people, the company needs to carry out interviewing process. This process is time consuming and costly to the company as they need to pay at a high range of salary to hire the expert people.

Next, the Google Inc also using the AMO method and which is the short form of Ability, Motivation and Opportunity. This AMO method is using to measure the performance of the employee in the Google Inc. The meaning of the ability refers to that talent enable to complete the specific job or task. Next is the motivation, it defined as a set of energetic forces that originates both within and outside an employee, initiates work-related effort, and determines its direction, intensity, and persistence. The last one is the opportunity is the chance of the employee to get into a higher position.

SECTION 3: FINDINGS

The unlimited sick leave that Google management team offered may become a problem. The person who takes leave may cause problems to his/hers colleague as they have to increase their work amount by helper for his/hers work and the productivity will also reduce during the time they are on leave. According to the Two Factor Theory, it doesn’t brings only job satisfaction which occurs on the applier of sick leave. It also brings job dissatisfaction which occurs on the applier’s colleague.

Google workforce management applies the Theory Y by Douglas McGregor as their leadership style. Theory Y is an idea that managerial assumes all staffs is ambitious and self-motivated. It may neglect those workers those are not that ambitious and self-motivated. Those person may have potential to adapt with Theory X that may stimulate their potential. Theory X is theory which stated that workers inherently dislike and avoid work and must be driven to it.

Google also suggested a method, AMO which brings meaning Ability and Skills, Motivation and Opportunity to involve. Due to large amount of staff with talent, those knowledgeable workers with ability and skills feel that they are not recognized and valued as the company matures. The continuity of recruiting in new knowledge workers causes those current knowledge workers feel less motivated and the competition among colleague may become stronger. The other problem that occurs due to large amount of staffs, some workers feels that they have not given enough opportunity and job satisfaction are not delivered.

OCB (Organizational Citizen Behavior) is defined as the individual’s behavior that is discretionary, not directly or explicitly recognized by the formal reward system and that in the aggregate promotes the effective functioning of the organization. The problem that made by AMO may affect OCB of the employees.

Necessity training and recruitment have to apply on the new hired employees in order to make them to have relevant knowledge about their job and adapt with the job. But it may consume a period of time for their training.

SECTION 4: RECOMMENDATION

There is some ways recommended to improve the company:

It is good that Google applied the Theory Y as their leadership style but there are some workers not that ambitious and self-motivated. Google can also apply Theory X as well. We can know that Theory X can be defines as the theory which is stated that workers inherently dislike and avoid work and must be driven to it. Manager can tries to motivate the workers through fear and scold and maintain the tight control over the workers as well. Other than that, manager should rewards the workers if they achieved the goals while manager should punishes them if they done any mistakes. With this principle, these ‘Theory X’ workers can stimulate their very own potential and of course, it will increase company productivity.

Google should also apply one of the 4 principles of science by Taylor (Kinichi, A, 2011) which is give training and rewards to workers based on their performance. Management should reward their workers after they have achieved a certain goal and the rewards can be in the terms of extrinsic and intrinsic rewards. By this way, workers will feel motivated and will work harder to achieve another goal to gain another reward. Besides, management also needs to give their workers some free suitable training to them. These trainings not only can give their workers more experiences and have a chance to promote, but also can let them sure that the management needs them.

Besides that, because there is continuity of recruiting in new knowledge workers in Google, the current knowledge workers feel less motivated. It is because they always thought that they work hard for the company for nothing. To prevent it, Google can apply the principle that suggested by Mayo which is Hawthorne effect (Kinichi, A., 2011). Management should always take more attention to the workers so that they will work harder for the company. Manager can take attention on the workers by give rewards and applauses when they achieve anything good and the targets that he or she targeted. Dr. Motivation, Dave Worman (n.d.) found that the manager do not give enough attention on the workers it is because they do not get enough attention from the top management too. To change and prevent this situation occur, attentions should be taken start from the top management.

We can know that Google always recruiting new workers outside of the company. This is called as external recruitment. This recruitment can be good as the company can have specialized knowledge workers but this recruitment will consume more time and expensive. Besides, it is very high risk because the company even does not know the person that they recruited. So the better way is Google should apply internal recruitment. This recruitment not only saves time but has fewer risks. It is because internal candidates are more familiar with the organization. Besides, Google no needs to spend their time to train the new candidates, advertise, and interview the newbie.

SECTION 5: CONCLUSION

Google Company is an American multinational corporation. Google company also provides Internet-related products and services, including software, internet search, advertising technologies, and cloud computing. The Company also provides online productivity software including social networking, email and an office suite. Google products develop to the desktop as well, with organizing and editing photos, instants messaging and applications for web browsing.

Google Inc. is using this two factor theory concept which is hygiene factors and motivation factors in their company and to make sure the employee enjoy the working environment during their working time. The Google Inc. has provided an awesome working place and benefits to their staff and the benefits of the Google Inc. are among the best in the world. For example, Google Inc. has prepared fun stuff around the office and prepares the gourmet food as free for their staffs. Google Inc. through two factor theory may bring some advantages to their company. First of the advantages is the employees become more efficiency and creative because Google Inc. create a fantastic working environment to their employees. The next the advantage is to prevent the staff resign because hiring a new staff and training them need a lot of time. However, two factor theory that performed by Google Inc. have disadvantages. First of all, it has waste the money of the Google Inc.

Next the management theory has apply in the Google Inc. is Theory Y. The Google Inc. performs this Theory Y because their tasks tend to more flexible and innovative. The Theory Y also brings some advantages to the Google Inc. First of the advantage is employee can easy to get the new idea. Next of the advantages is the staff has ability to make a good decisions. On another hand, the Theory Y used by the Google Inc. has disadvantages too. The disadvantages is it may cause some task cannot complete on time. Google Inc. tends to use the external recruitment source compare with internal recruitment source. The pro for the external recruitment is it will bring fresh employees and talents. In contrast, the con of the external recruiting is having higher cost compared internal recruiting.