Google’s strategy
for building a stellar workforce
According to an article by Desda Moss, Managing Editor of HR Magazine,
“How Google Searches for Success,” the company has such an appealing
employer brand that it receives more than 7,000 applications a day. She
notes that Laszio Bock, Vice President of People Operations at Google, offers
the following advice on building a stellar workforce:
• Hire learners. People who are curious and
inquisitive keep working on problems until they are solved.
• Trust them. “Give them freedom, information and
tools to do their job.”
• Small projects, small teams. Four
to six people are ideal, larger groups change the dynamic. When there
is a large problem, carve it into small pieces.
• Create a flat structure. Information
needs to flow up as well as down and having fewer layers makes that easier.
• Discuss everything in public. “It’s
always better.”
• Be meritocratic. At Google, employees’
objectives and results are evaluated quarterly and calibration is used
to make sure the ratings mean the same across the organization. Pay is
for performance.
• Reward success, but don’t penalize
failure. Risk taking is necessary to stay on top.
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