As chief executive officer, Larry Page is responsible for Google’s product development and technology strategy

Wilmington University Management Case Study

Case study:

As chief executive officer, Larry Page is responsible for Google’s product development and technology strategy. Sergey Brin co-founded Google Inc. with Larry Page in 1998.Today, he directs special projects. Eric Schmidt, former CEO, is the executive chairman of the board. Together, these three men provide strategic leadership at Google.

 

Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. By providing the best user experience, Google and its leadership team believe that they can build a company that will create more value, not just for its users but ultimately for its share- holders. Its business model is based on providing a free information search engine to millions of subscribers in ex- change for the sale of ads that appear alongside its search engine results. Google’s advertising programs range from simple text ads to rich media ads that help businesses find customers and help publishers make money off of their content.The company also provides cloud computing tools for businesses that save money and help organizations be more productive.

 

 

 

 

 

Google has on its Web site a page titled “Ten things we know to be true.”The 10th item states,“Great just isn’t good enough.” This  10th     item     discusses         Google’s          goal-setting strategy:“We set ourselves goals we know we can’t reach yet, because we know that by stretching to meet them we can get further than we expected.” Google sets stretch goals, a mark of strategic leaders whose vision stretches way beyond what others think is possible.Through innovation and iteration, Google aims to take things that work well and improve upon them in unexpected ways.“We try to anticipate needs not yet articulated by our global audience,and meet them with products and services that set new standards.”This is the essence of strategic leadership— anticipating customer needs and then designing innovative products/services that will satisfy those needs.The strategic management process is about having the right vision, setting challenging objectives, and formulating the right strategies to achieve these objectives and keep moving toward the vision. Google is certainly pursuing a differentiation strategy. Google is always looking for new opportunities where it can make a difference. “Ultimately, our constant dissatisfaction with the way things are becomes the driving force behind everything we do.”In other words, Google is a change-driven, not a status-quo, organization.

 

 

 

Google certainly strives for a strategy-culture fit. As Google’s leadership sees it, great, creative things are more likely to happen with the right company culture.At Google, there is an emphasis on team achievements and pride in individual accomplishments that contribute to its success. The company puts great stock in its employees who are described as energetic and passionate. Google strongly believes in diversity. Its employees come from diverse backgrounds with creative approaches to work and play. The company’s culture is adaptive, yet casual and very informal.This culture type is key to Google’s success as an innovator. Idea generation is the first step to new product development. At Google, it is not uncommon for a new idea to emerge in a cafe? line, at a team meeting, or at the gym.What sets Google apart from its competitors is the dizzying speed with which new ideas are traded, tested, and put into practice.

 

Google is one of the world’s most dominant companies. Google can be accessed in 120 languages and available in 50 countries worldwide. By any standard or metric, Google is a standout company, and perhaps the main reason for its superiority is its remarkable style of leadership. Google’s results speak for its performance.The company reached $1 billion in revenue in six years, ten years faster than Microsoft.The Google brand is valued at $100 billion, making it the world’s first “one-hundred billion” brand.

 

 

 

Case Questions:

 

1.How effective has the executive leadership team of Schmidt, Page, and Brin been in providing the kind of strategic leadership that Google has seen so far?

 

2. Critique Google’s mission statement.

 

3. How well do Google’s long-term objectives

 

balance with the interests of its stakeholders?

 

4.Describe Google’s business environment. How well is Google adapting to it?

 

5.What type of strategy is Google pursuing, and why do you think the leadership team has chosen such a course rather than the alternatives?

 

 

 

 

3-5 pages in length (excluding cover page, abstract, and reference list)