Google Innovation

"The key element of changing the work so that the work itself becomes a critical attraction and retention force and driver of innovation and motivation is what Google calls “20% work.” There is no concrete definition of what 20% work means, but generally for professional jobs it means that the employee works the equivalent of one-day-a-week on their own researching individually selected projects that the company funds and supports. Both Google Groups and Google News products are reported to have started as a result of personal 20% time projects."(Sullivan,J.2005).
Google give their employees time at work to come up with innovative ideas and they have seen many results from this. Google have a very narrow span as they have small teams who work together. Their structure is also rather flat, employees would be able to get ideas to the top of the organisational structure quickly as the structure is flat. Google is a very innovative company and they have a different way of doing things for example they have a slide from the top floor to the bottom to make things more exciting and different at work. Also as a mode of transport between meetings "Bicycles or scooters for efficient travel between meetings; dogs; lava lamps; massage chairs; large inflatable balls"(Google,2012) .This is all about having fun and getting ideas out in the open and it certainly works. I think Google's example of innovation and how to run a business is inspiring and should be copied. In my opinion employers need to learn that a workplace should be somewhere an employee wants to be not somewhere an employee has to be.

Google. (2012). The Google Culture. Available: http://www.google.com/about/corporate/company/culture.html. Last accessed 19th January 2012

Sullivan, J. (2005). A case study of Google recruiting. Available: http://www.ere.net/2005/12/05/a-case-study-of-google-recruiting/. Last accessed 19th January 2012