Work Rules! Insights From Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead. Essay Example

In our contemporary society, businesses are faced with stiff competition, hence the need to have a competitive advantage over the other firms. Despite the competition, businesses have grown from small companies to multinational corporations. An example of such companies is Google. Google services are used in almost every part of the world. In the book, "Work Rules! Insights from Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead" by Lazlo Bock, who is the former SVP of Peoples Operations at the company, explains what the company does that is different from other firms (Sharma,2017). Also, the book shows the importance of activities such as proper hiring, performance management, and communication in the organization (Bock, 2015). The research paper will explore the book, analyze it, and show different google practices that can be used by other organizations and managers to improve performance.

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Summary

Bock introduces the book by suggesting that people are the architects of their own stories and how Google rules can work for everyone. Then, he gives the importance of culture and giving people freedom. People hate it when they are under control, and they perform when they have power. Also, the book analyzes the importance of recruiting the best employees and how to do proper recruitment. Bock further covers the importance of distributing power between employees and managers and personal growth for the employees. Employee training is encouraged d the author talks about why it is okay to pay people differently even though they perform the same job. Also, the book talks about the importance of being there for the employees when they are facing any challenge. Besides, the book illustrates different instances in which Google has failed and provides ways for other firms to learn from these cases. The author concludes by demonstrating how the work rules can transform the workforce and the whole institution (Bock, 2015).

Major Insights

Google challenges traditional workplace practices and continues to rake in billions every year. Bock notes, "To create a place where you want to work, you need to be a founder by choosing how you interact with those around you, how you design your workplace and how you lead. In doing so, you'll help create a place that will attract the most talented people on the planet" (Sharma, 2017). The book, therefore, provides insights that can help other firms create a healthy working environment.

The Culture of Freedom

One of the most notable differences between google and other firms is giving the employees freedom and power. The company provides employees with a voice in many activities. The employees reported earlier that they wanted more say in the activities of the firm. Also, the employees wanted the freedom to structure their day the way they wanted. According to Bock, the firm reacted that trusting that all the employees are reasonable people and taking power from the managers and giving it to the employees. The freedom of employees is further encouraged by transparency and access to information. There are cases of a newly employed software engineer who would have access to all computer codes for all products, unlike other firms (Bock, 2015). While speaking at the Success Connect Berlin 2018, Bock argued that giving employees some freedom increased productivity in the firm. He suggested that giving people freedom allowed them to organize themselves and offered an opportunity to learn and grow. However, most managers and leaders are afraid of giving employees freedom. The firm should trust its employees enough to provide them with more freedom. Also, employees will develop a sense of responsibility, and their output will also grow.

Recruitment

Moreover, Bock suggests hiring the best employees who are better than the hirer in some ways. However, the hiring decisions should not be left the managers alone. All the team players should participate in recruitment. Since the company was growing in size, these practices were applied to ensure the right people were hired (Bock, 2015). Subordinates are included interviews to ensure they would effectively work with future managers. Also, during interviews, a cross-functional interviewer is included to make sure the employee is hired because he is excellent, not because of other reasons. The interviewers are usually four, to avoid them being too many or too few and the average of scores from all the interviewers determine if someone gets a job. Bock further illustrates the importance of hiring by suggesting if a firm had limited resources, it should concentrate first on recruitment (Evanish, 2015). The recruitment method helps google to acquire the best employees. Also, it ensures the creation of a favorable environment where employees can relate well with the manager, allowing for effective communication. Many companies have not recruited many workers as google; hence, the information can be valuable to them.

Employee Empowerment and Growth

Furthermore, Google takes power from the managers and trust the employees will do their duties effectively. Hierarchal and status symbols are eliminated from the organization. In the firm, employees feel and act like owners. Also, the organization tries to reduce the signifiers of power. Decisions in the firm are made based on the available information. The managers' beliefs and opinions are not prioritized over the available data. Besides, the employees are given the power to shape their work and company (Bock, 2015). Sometimes the employees are involved in activities such as the allocation of bonuses based on the performance of employees. The firm expects employees to use this power efficiently and produce maximumly. In an Interview with Peter High, Bock talks about the AI-driven nudges that include reminders and notes. The notes appear to the employees at the right time to help employees feel better, try something new, or make their environment more inclusive (High, 2019). Employee empowerment creates a favorable environment for employees to perform well and keeps them motivated. The method of empowerment can help employees from other firms perform better.

Proper Management

Google recognizes that appropriate management is crucial for the firm. For this reason, Google developed a method to assess the performance of the managers. At one point, Google eliminated managers since the firm thought they had a low impact on the firm. However, after six weeks, the managers were returned since the firm could not operate without them. To determine their impact, Google carried out Project Oxygen, which aimed to find out how managers affected the performance of firms (Bock, 2015). The Google employees who were managed by the best managers performed better in many aspects than those under worst managers, bad managers, worst managers, and good managers with unhappy teams. The employees were more efficient and felt that the career decisions were fair. A good manager should be a good coach, empower employees, and avoid micromanaging. Also, the manager should be concerned with the teams' well-being, be productive, and communicate well with all the employees. Besides, the manager should help with career development and have a firm direction for the company. Technical skills are also essential to advise employees when they need guidance (Alton, 2017). Although employees are empowered and given freedom, the managers cannot be eliminated in the firm. They are still required to ensure the firm moves in the right direction.

Experimentation

Also, Bock points out that the organization was careful not to force any change in the organization. This made it easier to adopt new strategies if the first one was challenged. Since the company was continually giving doing experiments, the firm referred to them as "temporary experiments" to avoid the employees feeling like they are entitled to them. The employees knew that the tests could be stopped at any time and hence, did not complain when the firm did away with them (Bock, 2015). Besides, the book suggests that once the policy was implemented, it was evaluated, and the results used to decide if the experiment would stay the same, be altered or eliminated (Evanish, 2015). Also, Bock advises that firms should recognize what ought to be happening and is not happening and run many small experiments. The experiments help to bring change in any institution, hence gradually increasing its performance.

Conclusion

Google Ltd has brought new insights into operating efficiently for the firms. In the book "Work Rules! Insights from Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead" has shown how operations at Google Ltd are different than activities in other firms. The book stresses the importance of giving the employees the freedom to choose how to do their duties. Also, the book emphasizes the need for proper recruitment in a firm and the impact of a capable management force. Besides, the importance of employee empowerment and growth is analyzed, and experiments stressed for change in the organization. The book, therefore, provides lessons that could be implemented by other firms to ensure better performance. The author provides rules that can be followed by any firm to become successful. Google challenged traditional management and operation practices, and a new approach worked effectively. Therefore, there is always more than one way to do something, and people can always come up with new ones.

References

Alton, L. (2018). 3 Key lessons for HR managers from Google's Laszlo Bock. Retrieved December 11, 2019, from https://www.adp.com/spark/articles/2017/10/3-key-lessons-for-hr-managers-from-googles-laszlo-bock.aspx#

Bock, L. (2015). Work rules! Insights from inside Google that will transform how you live and lead. Cornwall, England: Twelve.

Evanish, J. (2015). Laszlo Bock's work rules: Key takeaways for your company. Retrieved December 11, 2019, from https://getlighthouse.com/blog/laszlo-bock/

High, P. (2019). Former Google HR Chief Laszlo Bock aims to revolutionize people management with Humu. Retrieved December 11, 2019, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterhigh/2019/09/09/former-google-hr-chief-laszlo-bock-aims-to-revolutionize-people-management-with-humu/#404281336000

Sharma, A. (2017). Work rules! Insights from inside Google: A book review. Retrieved December 11, 2019, from https://www.peoplemattersglobal.com/article/talent-management/work-rules-insights-from-inside-google-a-book-review-15788?utm_source=peoplematters&utm_medium=interstitial&utm_campaign=learnings-of-the-day