DDI’s Talent Management Intelligence

The Work Revolution Inside Google

By Barry Stern

Part Three: In this third and final video blog series featuring Julie Clow, former Googler and author of the recently published book The Work Revolution: Freedom and Excellence for All, we’ll take two quick peaks behind the Google curtain.  Is it a place where work has indeed been revolutionized, or all hype?  DDI has long taken the position that if one has a dollar to spend on selecting the right person versus attempting to develop what a client might suspect is the wrong person, that dollar is better spent on the selection system.  So, that’s where I started – how does Google get all those great people we hear about?

 

The four elements to which Julie refers Leadership, Analytical Ability, Experience, and Culture Fit, get beyond mere job descriptions and relate to some of the components of what DDI has long termed the “success profile” of job performance. And increasingly, we agree that the notion of Culture Fit  should be a vital front and center part of the selection process. 

But what about once people are on board?  How does the Google environment garner and maintain momentum for the workplace revolution?  I asked Julie if she can share an example of a way in which a Google tool might accelerate the revolution. 

 

Sounds like such a simple tool, but as I began to think about the notion of promoting “peer to peer” vs. “tops down” accountability, I can understand how such an idea can, once enough users participate, be a solid way in which to transform the workplace.

Well, that’s it for my conversation with Julie from our New York City office. Be sure to pick up The Work Revolution… an inspiring, easy, and fun read.  And also please share with us any thoughts you have on ways your workplace is being revolutionized.  We are interested in hearing from you!

Driving and Sustaining the Work Revolution

By Barry Stern

Part Two: In Part 1 of this series, newly published author of The Work Revolution: Freedom and Excellence for All and Google alum Julie Clow made the case for why we need a workplace revolution.  In this second part of our discussion, I asked Julie to provide some practical tips for revolutionizing the workplace.  First, I asked her to comment on a very hot topic in the corridors of DDI and with many of our clients – innovation. I asked Julie for her perspective on what we can do to drive innovation.

 

The notion of creating an “idea-testing rather than an idea-judging culture” resonates strongly for me, and yet I am struck by how few leaders I’ve known through the years seem truly dedicated to creating the space for their folks to do just that without some fear of repercussion.  And breaking down the walls between organizational silos, sometimes even between cubes, is something many leaders at all levels seem to recognize and seek to impact.  Digging in further to the role of leaders, I was curious to gain Julie’s perspective on what leader actions it takes to drive a workplace revolution.

  

DDI has been espousing the notion of leaders “seeking” vs. “telling” for many years; however Julie’s words emphasize the aggregate strength in tapping into the collective energy and ideas of our employees.  And to leaders in the “never-off” world to which she refers in her book, it is easy to see why Julie would turn to the notion of prioritization as so critical.  

It struck me as our discussion unfolded that it would be interesting to get Julie’s take on what the role of HR might be in the Revolution, so that was where I turned to next.

   

So for Julie, it would appear the primary role of HR in this regard is to be the “culture carrier” and to put in place tools, systems, skills, and communications that support the more open culture she is asking us to create.  And, speaking of culture, I couldn’t help but wonder about what it was like to be inside the presumably open culture of Google.  Is it in fact that “revolutionized workplace” that we think it to be? We’ll get a peek inside the Google culture in the final installment of our discussion with Julie Clow coming up in the next week or so.

Starting the Work Revolution

By Barry Stern, Ph.D.

Part One: About two years ago, while at a conference, I figured I’d spend an hour listening to Julie Clow (then Director of Learning and Development at Google) to find out how she and Google approached the L&D function.  Afterwards, feeling inspired by her perspective, I put some of my reactions down in a TMI blog entry. Fast forward to today, and I’m proud to call Julie a friend and colleague, whose perspectives continue to push me to be circumspect about, as Julie might say, “This thing we call work.”  And so, when Julie informed me she was writing a book and asked me to offer feedback on formative drafts as well as write a sidebar I was ready to dig in with gusto.  And this week, Wiley has released her inspirational book, The Work Revolution: Freedom and Excellence for All. 

Armed with video cam, I sat down with Julie in DDI’s New York office and asked her to provide us some thoughts as well as extemporaneously expand on some themes from the book.   First I asked her, “What is this work revolution and why do we need it?”  Listen as she talks about the evolution of the workplace and the logic for invoking some “new rules.”

 

Of course, we all function in complex environments, many of them with long and hallowed histories, so I put the question to Julie, “How can one spark a revolution – while still staying true to company values and not incidentally losing one’s job?”

 

The notion of many small efforts reflects more of a day to day attitude towards work rather than getting too attached to any one idea which may or may not take off.  However, over time, were everyone to take more of the freedom they have to try new ideas, culture overall would certainly change, so that’s where I went with the next question. 

 

What can you do every day that will impact your company’s culture, even in small ways? You’ll hear more on this topic and others, including a peek inside the Google culture, in two more video blogs over the next few weeks.  Check back soon!