Nick Pateras | How Google Works
BOOK REVIEW
How Google Works – Eric Schmidt & Jonathon Rosenberg
Witty and learned, this corporate blueprint crowns Google a vanguard of 21st century management
A few months ago, I developed an intense thirst to learn more about digital marketing levers and how they worked, beyond the basic grasp I had as a brand marketer. I used Google’s online resources to dive into such topics as the differences between the various advertising vehicles, how to drive higher ROI via hyper-targeted campaigns and the process behind a search engine auction. This period of self-education inspired me to pursue my Google AdWords certification (which I now hold, after hours of studying for the four mandatory exams) and also to purchase this book, as a supplementary insight into the engrossing world of technology.
“For a meritocracy to work, it needs to engender a culture where there is an obligation to dissent.”
Though it does touch on the meteoric rise of technological innovation, the book is written foremost as a dossier of management lessons, presumably targeted to executives of more traditional businesses who are interested in plucking knowledge from one of the world’s most successful and attractive companies. The authors strike a deeply affable and droll tone as they share parables illustrating their guiding principles. Many of these defy customary thinking, such as their insistence not to offer more weight to the viewpoints of HiPPOs (highest paid person’s opinion), unless their experience is used to frame a winning argument. Some of these unorthodox learnings are unique to the tech space, with one notable example being Google’s ‘default to open’ policy, allowing free-market developers inside the systems, effectively trading control for rapid scale and advancement. Yet another memorable passage emphasized technical insights over market research, though I did question whether this clashed with the ubiquitous ‘focus on the user’ mentality, on the surface at least.
The businessman in me found this book a worthwhile read, though it’s unlikely for those without more than a casual interest in management. I can easily foresee myself referencing it in the future should I eventually lead a team; however, many of its takeaways are also pertinent to me now with my career in its relative infancy, such as the authors’ underscoring the importance of a strong capability for data analytics. Beyond the eye-catching fact that it bears Google’s name in its title, which in itself is often interpreted as a seal of merit, this book very much heightened my admiration for a corporate modus operandi of this nature. In saying that, the irony is not lost on me that while I started by researching digital marketing, and buying this work as a segue from that topic, it so happens that this book is of course a tremendous marketing lever for Google itself.
-NP, Sept. 2015