Managing Cultural Diversity

Google Case Study

Andrew Brown
David Howe
Peta-Gaye Petty

Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to discuss this groups findings on the contemporary
workplace of Google and the workplace changes. Organizational efforts to maintain an inclusive
and diverse culture will be discussed by examining the internal and external factors surrounding
the planning and implementation of diversity and conflict resolution. Concluding with the
groups new-found definition of organizational context.

The contemporary workplace has shifted. Manufacturing is being outsourced while

information and service industries are on the rise. This shift in the job market is reflected in how
work environments are set up and operate. The global economy never sleeps, and therefor
business never sleeps. The eight hour workday is fading into the past as technology makes it
almost impossible to get away from work. Demands of business and work make it hard to find a
work-life balance. Employees are no longer expected to work their whole careers at one job.
Instead, they go to where the best fit is. Google integrates everyday life and leisure into their
work environment to accommodate these issues making their employees happy, healthier, and
more productive.
Google takes the contemporary workplace to a whole new level. In the past a good
majority of its employees telecommuted, now Google prefers its employees to stay as close to
work as possible. Everything an employee might need for their day is in the Googleplex. It has a
laundry service as well as all the amenities. Employees have access to free electric and hybrid
cars to run any errands they might have throughout the day. There are Espresso machines and
food everywhere so Google employees never have to go far for a snack. There are multiple
kitchens which each serve gourmet style food from different cultures that is both healthy and
delicious. There are multiple gyms so employees can exercise during the workday, and even a
masseuse in the Googleplex for relieving some stress.
Business and technology are advancing quickly; this brings constant and inevitable
changes. One major way companies are evolving to accommodate these changes is by being
diverse as possible. Google understands this and has hires from many countries and
backgrounds. This is part of the reason the work environment at Google is constantly changing.
Google attempts to mold its environment to best suit its employees to facilitate their creativity
and productivity. They use more of an organic approach with many cross directional teams.

The elimination of hierarchical lines makes it possible for any department to directly
interact and co-operate with other departments. Many businesses are going in this direction now.
The contemporary work environment is changing rapidly due to the demands of employees
wanting more of a work-life balance. The demands of employers are growing as well. It is
inevitable that businesses and work environments must change with the times, otherwise they
will cease to exist.
Diversity in any organization is important; a diverse employee offers an array of skills
that allows the organization to be successful. There are many unique skills that the diverse
employees bring to the company from their countries which stems from their different back
grounds and cultures. Each and every culture has their own ideas and customs that separate them
from the rest of the world, which is what, makes them unique.
The founders of Google Alan Eustace ( SVP, Engineering and Research) decided that he
wanted to build a diverse company, because he felt that that was the right way to build a
company. One of the companys main aims is to reverse the talent pool of pre-university students
that have interest in technology. There has been a growing trend, where this interest has been on
the decline.
The company has helped to implement and foster the Stem program which is Science,
Technology, Engineering and Math in middle schools, but these efforts have been somewhat
lackluster as the progress with minority groups have not increased to great amounts. As a result
Google has implemented many awards, scholarships and internships to university students.
Their efforts have begun to work and are still working as more students have become interested
in computer science. The company wishes to change the face of Technology and they have used
diversity to assist them in doing so. Google has decided to step outside the United stated in their

efforts to increase computer science among minority groups and to allow these people to bring
new assets such as their fresh ideas to the company.
The company Google has capitalized on assets that these individual have to offer, which
are their educational background and their original ideas. Google leads the industry and sets its
self apart from other companies; the company is one the most diverse in the World. It prides
itself on making sure that the company is dedicated to diversity. The company believes that
diversity should be involved in everything that they do which ranges from the hiring of new
Googlers to developing and implementing new products and or services.
The success of Google has been attributed to the diverse workforce that understands the
billions of people that use Google daily. As a result the company employees people from all over
the world to keep the culture at Google diverse. The company has listed a few of their
employees that they feel reflect the diversification of Google:

Alana from Yonker, NewYork.

Ross from Dublin, Irleand
Ego from London
Verne from Austrialia
Miriam from Uganda

This list of Googlers just gives a merger impression of the companies array of
employees as Google does not only hire people from different countries and cultures. The
company hires persons that fit into groups such as the Black Googler Network (BGN),
Women@Google, VetNet : The Google Veterans Network, Gayglers: Googles LGBT Network,
the Capability Council: this group dedicated to the disabled individuals and lastly the and the
Hispanic Googler Network ( HGN).
There are several common themes that underlie most definitions of conflict. We can
define conflict as the process that begins when one party perceives the other party has negatively

affected, or is about to negatively affect, something that the first party cares about. CPP the
exclusive publisher of the Myer Briggs instrument conducted a study and reports the primary
cause of workplace conflict are related to personality clashes, stress and workload. There are
three most commonly accepted views of conflict. The traditional view is one that where it is
assumed all conflict is bad and should be avoided. The interactionist view is second, where
conflict is encouraged so long as the group is engaged in active discussion of ideas in a nonconfrontational way. The last being the resolution focused view that emphasizes and attitude of
immediate resolve. Google has taken a unique approach to conflict in the workplace. In an
interview Meet the Boss TV conducted with Google Vice President of Operations, Liane
Hornsey she explains that the culture of Google promotes the practices necessary to have conflict
being identified quickly, brought out into the open fast and conflict management is not a top
down process. When asked how conflict is managed she reflected on a story when one of her
managers had two members who had conflict to the point of having daggers drawn on each other
the managers resolve was to have the two sit down in a room together and not be allowed to
leave until they sort out their differences. She explains the reason for this process is because if as
a manager she were to step in she would alienate one party. She concludes by explaining life at
Google is all about positive dialog and treating people they way they would in their personal
lives. This follows alongside Googles practices of hiring managers that coach and dont
micromanage. Google believes that conflict generally appears when there is fear and concern.
Google manages this concern by providing the amenities to its employees that would alleviate
that fear. Lets face it: programmers want to program they dont want to do their laundry. So we
make it easy for them to do both. Eric Schmidt, CEO, Google. Another step Google utilizes in
managing workplace conflict is by prevention. They accomplish this through their interview
process. In Googles interview process a prospective employee is interviewed by managers, peers
and subordinates. Although it leads for a lengthy interview process, it affords all aspects of the

prospective employee to be previewed by those who will interact with them most. This is their
first line of defense against conflict in the workplace by not only hiring people that fit their
culture but also allowing a preview to those who have to work under, with and over a new
candidate.
Although they take the necessary steps to prevent conflict from happening, utilize a new
approach to resolving conflicts and have a company motto dont be evil. Google has had job
discrimination lawsuits filed against them. Christina Elwell a former Sales Executive alleged
discrimination began a month after informing her supervisor Timothy Armstrong she was
pregnant. He grew concerned of her inability to travel given the complications associated with
her pregnancy. In the same month Elwell lost two of her four children. Armstrong allegedly
showed Elwell an organizational chart that had her position removed and asked her to take a
position in an operations department. She saw this as a waste of the years of experience she had
in sales and requested a lower level sales position. She was denied that position and someone
who she had initially trained who had no Internet sales experience got the position over her. The
lawsuit alleges Armstrong called Elwell into his office where he told her she was an HR
nightmare. He continued in expressing his concern that she was discussing her situation with
her coworkers. A day after the meeting Armstrong called Elwell and fired her. Followign her
termination she was contacted by HR who explained she was terminated improperly and was
offered the operations position she initially turned down. By June Elwell lost the third child of
the unborn quadruplets. After returning to work in July doctors ordered her remain out of work
due to the stress associated with Google and Armstrong. She took disability leave and gave birth
to the remaining child of the quadruplets.

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