Schmidt's
description of the Google Culture makes perfect sense to me and I fully support
their concept of 70-20-10 (Schmidt, 2011). I had previously researched and
analyzed their concepts and it works fundamentally against the stressors that
most companies struggle against. Most companies focus maximum efforts against
their top priorities, and allocate time and resources to other areas when
available. This results in high stress levels and personnel reaching job
burnout. The concepts supporting the 70-20-10 model is that 70% of ones time is
on core elements, 20% of their time on adjacent activities and lastly 10% on
other activities. This promotes good diversification naturally. Ironically,
Schmidt expressed a disposition about reality and how “management books all say
stuff generically.”
Another major practice supported by Google, Inc. is
one where individuals spend 80% of their time on tasks outlined by their
superior and the other 20% of their time on individual projects of interest.
This is a very reasonable way to view the work that most people are doing in
your workplace and if my organization could establish and maintain an operating
practice similar to this I believe we’d be even more successful. Presently, my
organization burns the candle at both ends and personnel are essentially burnt
out. It make it difficult to maintain a personable environment and one the is
as Schmidt expresses is “compatible with other people” (Schmidt, 2011).
As a leader, it takes courage to implement this point
of view and this approach could potentially backfire. As a leader aims to
establish a climate encouraging certain values or implement changes to harness
their culture it can be scary. Much like any investment, it takes resources and
time; the return on investment is not usually immediate. As a leader, you must
analyze the market and make investments; failure to commit is worth than
failing within a particular investment.
The most
important facet I can take away to use immediately in your career is that there
is no one size fits all approach. Realizing what works well for Google, Inc. is
a starting point, but their model will not be an off the shelf package that
works well for my organization. It was humorous to hear Schmidt express discourse
about the generalities of management textbooks. An effective implementation of
leadership and management practices are by no means considered to be easy. I
think another overarching lesson retained throughout this program is that
leaders must invest in their people, enable systems and promote communication.
Once the plan is established back off and let the organization grow, keep it
resourced and the benefits with speak for themselves.
References
Schmidt, E.
(2011, May). Eric Schmidt on business culture, technology, and social issues |
McKinsey & Company [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/strategy/eric_schmidt_on_business_culture_technology_and_social_issues
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