HR Management Assignment writing Study report help online: Report on Organizational culture of Google case
Introduction
In this report, the relationship between organizational culture and performance has been explained in detail. The report also talks about the impact that these two factors have on motivation level of employees in an organization. First part of the report talks about review of the current literature to the topic and in second part organizational culture followed in Google has been investigated to provide further strength to the discussion.
The work of Denison (1990) and Truskie (1999) clearly show that for a successful organizational culture, there are certain cultural aspects which are very important to be followed. According to Martin (1992) and Goffee and Jones (1996), in order to create a strong organizational culture, it is very important to align values of employees with the values of an organization. The empirical evidences of Kotter and Heskett (1992) emphasize on strategically appropriate culture to create a link between organizational culture and performance of people associated with the organization.
Consequently, an analysis of manifestation of culture followed in Google has been done in which artefacts at Google has been evaluated. This analysis and evaluation brings out that Mission, Innovation, Fun and Reward are the four key elements that comprise an integrated culture in Google. Furthermore, the importance of having a culture which is strategically appropriate is clearly reflected in the culture followed in Google as their culture is a perfect blend of needs of an organization and the marketplace (Martin, 1992).
In organizations wheremajor functions are concentrated in the hands of the owner or few numbers of managers, so the entire decision making is in their hands, it becomes very difficult to develop a culture. Consequently the success of the organisation to a large extent is dependent upon the personal effectiveness of these persons. So to improve the competence of the staff and efficiency of various functions and operations is not sufficient. Even the effectiveness of the owner or manager should be improved. Personal effectiveness included the ability to build and manage a team, to motivate people to work, be open to ideas and feedback and setting up a transparent and trustworthy atmosphers within the organisation.
An organizational culture helps in understanding the organizational (Martin, 1992). Study or organizational culture also helps in understanding the life of an organization which in turn holds a substantial importance as it directly impact the performance of an organization (Denison, 1990: Kotter and Heskett, 1992: Schien, 2004). On the other hand there are somecritics as well to these theories. According to Alvesson (2002), there is no clarity on the level of impact an organizational culture have on the performance of that organization.
An introduction to Organizational Culture
Before looking at the relationship between organizational culture and motivation and performance of employees, it is quite essential to understand the meaning of the term “Organisational Culture”. In last two decades there has been enormous work done by various authors on this topic. According to Anthony (1994), organizational culture is a general term used to incorporate various aspects of an organization. All the literatures related to organizational culture are quite diverse from each other but all most all the authors have similar opinion on one thing that both visible and invisible aspects related to an organization makes a culture of an organization (Kotter and Heskett, 1992). Schien’s fundamental definition of organizational culture is also adhred by many authors. According to Schien (1985,2004), various levels ranging from prima facie manifestation of culture to the assumptions that drives various actions in an organization forms the culture in an organization.
A culture is a word that is used to describe each and every part of an organization. It is not a superficial term. Every organization has its own culture and culture of two organization can always be compared to determine which one is better than other. In general, a culture is considered to be successful where the goals of employees are aligned with the goals of an organization (Kotter and Heskett, 1994). According to Martin (1992), culture is nothing but unity among employees and there is no differentiation which need to be integrated. According to him all employees of an organization clearly know the values and assumptions of an organization and accordingly decide what they need to do and what they do not need to do.
In view of Denison (1990), an organization becomes effective when its culture comprises of involvement, consistency, adaptability and mission. For Denison, these four factors are very important for an effective organizational culture. In this model involvement is referred to responsibilities associated with employees, their involvement in decision making and commitment towards their work. Alignment of values and expectations within organization has been termed as consistency. Adaptability means that organization is able to adjust according to changing behavior, structure and systems whenever needed. Finally, mission reflects that common definitiona and purposes are existing in an organization.
In many organizations today, we see a value culture where employees are either keeping mum on the various wrong things happening in an organization or if they agree to disclose the same in front of their top management they want something in return of their benefit. In present day organizations also, peer pressure is enormous on employees who force them to take certain decisions which proves to be very dangerous for the health of an organization as well as members of that organization. But the fear of being expelled by other employees make honest and true employees reluctant from bringing the true picture in front of concern people. In order to overcome such situations in an organization, it is the key responsibility of top management to create a transparent environment where every member of an organization feel free to bring things going on in an organization in the eyes of concerned authorities without any hesitation or fear of ignorance. While dealing with the situation management should act very tact fully that it does not discloses the identity of the person who has brought forward that particular thing in order to motivate him/ her further.
In present time, in multinational companies, people belonging to various regions, backgrounds, experiences, values and cultures come together to work in order to get successful in their lives. Thus it becomes very crucial and challenging for a company to develop a positive and interpersonal relationships among their employees. Apple has focused upon the cultural values of its employees as well as customers to achieve positive long-term relationships through maintaining an organizational culture which is highly flexible and culturally diverse.
“Personality” of an organization is reflected through its “culture”. One can define the culture on the basis of its beliefs, traditions, shared feelings and values. It helps in shaping the behavior of managers who manage an organization and behavior of employees who runs an organization. It also helps in determining the manner in which organizational situations are interpreted and responded. Members of an organization are provided with individualistic characteristics and values through corporate culture which helps them in learning and appreciating their performance. Things such as basic assumptions, values and artifacts distinguishes culture in different organizations. In an organization, there is an entry level process of socialization through which employees are introduced with the customs and culture followed in the organization. It is very difficult to change the culture of an organization but still in order to survive in this competitive age, bringing changes have become necessary for all the organizations. Thus having an adaptive culture is quite essential for an organization to work effectively and efficiently.
Analysis of Google Case Study
The Company has been successful in building a performance driven culture through a systematic performance appraisal process influencing total compensation. Annual benchmark compensation surveys in the countries where we are present, are used to align our compensation and benefits with market norms. A number of rewards and recognition mechanisms have been institutionalised in the organisation to recognise contribution of employees on projects or other key initiatives.
Leadership development programmes (LDP) help associates to identify, assess, educate and provide opportunities for experiential learning to the leadership talent pool. For middle management and senior leaders, the Company uses the programmes offered by reputed management institutes in India and abroad in addition to internal workshops and programmes. LDPs were scaled up for increased reach in India and overseas. The forward-executive education, a unique programme for women managers was launched in fiscal 2012 to encourage greater participation of women in senior leadership roles.
Continuous employee engagement through town halls, one-on-one meetings, regular communication and other modes helped the Company foster an open and transparent culture. Towards furthering a healthy work-life balance, the Company also organised fun events, sports, cultural activities and volunteering for social causes. Employees are encouraged to involve their families in these activities.
Employee well-being remained a priority and the Company continued its investments in various initiatives starting from comprehensive health insurance for its employees, providing gymnasiums, organising sports and enhancing employee awareness of typical health issues associated with the industry. The serenity programme has been enhanced and ‘Employee Assistance’ programme was launched during fiscal 2012 aimed at providing employees confidential counseling services, available 24X7, which would help them cope more effectively with stress. All these employee engagement initiatives and HR interventions have helped improve talent retention.
An in depth analysis of culture at Google clearly brings out the strength that is associated with its culture. The philosophy which the management has descended from the founder of the organization lays a substantial emphasis on mission, innovation, fun and reward while formulating policies relating to organizational culture. One of the key reason why Google has been able to maintain such culture is that the company is very careful while recruiting people so that they can have right sort of people who can cope up with the growing number of jobs within the organization.
It is the culture which encourages creativity in employees in Google which has helped the company to cope up with the rapidly changing nature of the industry in which it operates and hold the industry leader position for last many years. Smart and dynamic University leavers are attracted towards Google as the company’s policies related to fun and mission elements keep the dullness away from the workplace. Considerable financial rewards help Google to retain its employees and act as a bottleneck for its competitors to take away their human strength. The culture followed in Google is such that it involves the employees with the mission of the organization and then they do not feel like leaving he company
Following are few reasons that has been identified by Google that why people want to work with them. These ten points also provide an insight into the philosophy and culture that management has created in the organization:
- Lend helping hand – Google helps its employees in determining what they want, thus people in Google are always ready to help each other.
- Life is beautiful – Working in Google provides a sense of fulfillment.
- Appreciation is the best motivation – Work at Google is fun filled and inspirational.
- Work and play are not mutually exclusive – working environment at Google does not make work a burden.
- We love our employees and we want them to know it – rewards in the form of finance and fringe benefits brings a sense of belonging in the minds of employees.
- Innovation is our bloodline – Opportunities to innovate are endless in Google.
- Good company everywhere you look – employee force comprise of talented people which means you are in the company of interesting and smart people.
Conclusion
To summarise, in every organization, organizational culture is present in any of the form. Morale and motivational level of members of an organization are impacted substantially through the organizational culture. Artifacts, values and both visible as well as invisible assumptions are the three sources through which culture is communicated to the members of an organization. The mission of the founders of Google was to organize the information in the world and the same has been permeated in the culture followed in Google. This sense of mission has become the core strength of Google (Edward, 2005). This has resulted in creating a social bond among employees in Google and they unitedly work for the mission of the company. The values, attitude and objectives of the people working in Google are similar which has further strengthened its integrated culture. But the bottom line is that there is a direct correlation between the organizational culture and the performance of the company.
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