It’s hard to believe that it has been almost three months since my Google Innovator experience in New York! One of the (many) things that struck me about the experience apart from the amazing people I met and my own learning journey, was the extent to which Google fosters a positive culture for its employees and how that culture might be replicated in any organization or school.
On each table, there was the following poster outlining best practices for inclusive meetings which I thought about in terms of my own school and Library Learning Commons.
Giving credit, treating others with respect, following up and approaching disrespectful colleagues, being mindful of context and making sure you don’t interrupt are great springboards for your own classroom or staff meetings.
Tech & Non-Tech
There was lots of tech (every room was well-equipped), as you might expect, but there were lots of whiteboards and whiteboard walls too. Every few hundred feet was a kitchen or a seating/meeting space. Google uses physical spaces to allow people to meet and collaborate.There were fitness centers and play areas (this is typical of all of the Google offices I have visited). There were even posters in the bathrooms, affectionately called, “Learning on the Loo”. There was a healthy mix of technology and non-technology options from working to seating.
Being Googley
I gleaned much about being “Googley” from a panel about Google Culture featuring Google employees, Melissa Horwitz, Amanda Rosenburg, Danieta Morgan, Sam Canning-Kaplan, and Dan Stratford. I took copious notes while they were answering our questions and these are a few things they said which resonated:
Feedback & Collaboration are hallmarks of Google culture.
TGIF- Once a week on Fridays, the CEO shares high levels of info, future vision etc…and invites ANYONE at ANY LEVEL to ask any question they want. Everyone has a voice. It doesn’t matter who you are talking to or what level of experience you have. User first.
-Amanda Rosenburg
Humility matters. A lot. Personally and as a company. We all have so much to learn from one another.
-Dan Stratford
Google truly encourages free to fail. You do not get penalized if something fails; you learn from it.
-Sam Canning-Kaplan
Interview process: Looking for your thought process. You can take time to think an answer through. Google looks for leadership, Googleyness, general cognitive ability, and lastly content knowledge
-Melissa Horwitz
Characteristics of High Level leaders: transparent, accessible, good listeners
-Danieta Morgan
Feedback is important and includes surveys, interest and focus groups to understand what products would be valuable. Program Managers visit Classrooms and observe.
-Melissa Horwitz
Foundations for a Culture of Innovation by Google
In the document, Foundations for a Culture of Innovation by Google, you can get better insight as to what makes Google effective from the elements taken directly out of the document:
Curiosity
Curiosity is the spark of innovation. It’s the habit of constantly wondering why things are the way they are, looking at them from different perspectives, and questioning how they might be different. People and organizations that encourage curiosity can generate an abundance of new, innovative ideas— plus it’s a lot of fun!
Agency
School leaders can foster agency among teachers and staff by broadening their freedom to set their own goals and make their own decisions. When people are empowered to take ownership over their own work and working environments, they often become more motivated and are more open to trying out new ideas. By promoting a culture of agency and ownership, school leaders can harness the collective intelligence of their entire staff to find innovative solutions to complex problems rather than shouldering the entire burden themselves.
Risk-Taking
Trying ambitious new things is inherently risky; sometimes things simply won’t go as planned. Innovative cultures recognize that considered risk-taking and thoughtful failure are part of the learning process and essential to arriving at truly transformative ideas. These cultures reward people for dreaming big, even when their best efforts fall short. Taking many frequent, small risks and learning from each small failure along the way can help maintain an innovative mindset while avoiding catastrophic failures.
Collaboration
Innovation flourishes in environments where ideas can flow freely between people, teams, and different levels of an organization. After all, good ideas can come from anywhere. Amazing things happen when diverse people work together and build on each other’s ideas.
Check out the full document here.
As we head into the New Year, consider what elements you can implement in your own context to be a little more Googley.
