Project Loon and Google Fiber

Questions: 1. Should Google continue with projects like Project Loon and Google Fiber? If so, is its innovation model sufficient to foster innovation or should it change its approach to innovation? What steps should Google take to increase the confidence of analysts and investors in its innovation strategies? 2. As Google grows even bigger, what should it do to keep its entrepreneurial spirit alive in the company? Answers: 1. Google is a multinational technology company in America and provides products and services that are related to the internet. Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google on 4th September 1998. From its very beginning, the company focused on providing its customers the best user experience (Steiber et al, 2013). By August 2013 the company became more famous because of its superiority in the field of internet search and started to overtake most of its rivals regarding innovation. The company also started investing a huge amount in Research and Development and started working on their different other projects. Two such ambitious projects that were undertaken by Google were Project Loon and Google Fiber (Steiber et al, 2013). The primary aim of both the project was to improvise the accessibility to individuals across the globe. Project Loon was very ambitious because it seeks at providing internet accessibility to individuals living in the remote area, across the world. Whereas Google Fibers main aim was to provide high-speed internet service to the individual around the globe. The project promised to provide 100 times faster internet services than the existing broadband services ("CORPORATE ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION AT GOOGLE, INC", 2016). In my opinion, Google should continue with such projects because, with the rapid development of technology and increasing competition, innovation has become a crucial concern for the organization, because innovation helps the company to attract new customers and retains their existing customers. The former CEO of the company, Eric Schmidt in 2005 introduced a model for management of the business resource, which is known as 70/20/10' innovation model. Under this particular model, the staffs of Google devoted seventy percent of the total working hours to tasks that are related to the core business, of which twenty percent of the projects were related to core business and ten percent was not related to the core business ("CORPORATE ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION AT GOOGLE, INC", 2016). Again in 2010, the company started a new HR policy, which was known as Innovation Time Off. Under this new policy, the employees were given freedom to devote twenty percent of their weekly working period to concentrate on any work related to the company they prefer and it would not be related to their regular work ("CORPORATE ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION AT GOOGLE, INC", 2016). In my opinion, the innovation model was not sufficient, because, in August 2013, Google discontinued the Innovation Time Off' policy because the employees were facing difficulties in finishing their regular task. Google can enhance the confidence of investors and analysts in their innovation strategies by (Washburn et al, 2013): Encouraging all the board members to get involved in the activities related to investor relations. The board members included the chairperson, managing director, chief executive, and CFO. Providing a clear explanation of the dynamics of the market of Google to its investors, which may include information regarding, how the company earns its income. Meeting the performance target of the company. Attracting the coverage of more analysts Providing a regular flow of information Targeting the investors who are more important for the company Organizing road show Building social media into the programs related to the investor relations. 2. In the recent years Google has witnessed a successive growth, and it is growing, so it is important for the company to keep the entrepreneurial spirit alive in the organization, which can be achieved by (Kanhaiya, 2013): Shifting culture: The culture of the workplace critically impacts the growth of the company; the culture of the workplace should always encourage innovation. And many of the managers are unable to achieve this because they concentrate extensively on completing the task. The managers should learn to share the ownership of the organization with the workers because it makes them feel empowered and enables them to give innovative ideas (Amir et al 2015). Recognition and rewarding system: The culture of the company should provide its high-rolling employees with rewards and recognition, which will motivate them and will make them more efficient. All-round work programs: Different studies have highlighted that the productivity of the employees increases when they are allowed to work according to their way and during the time they want. It is important for the company to achieve this to some extent without crossing the boundary and also by maintaining the policy of the company. Internal communication: Messages and information can get adulterated, so it is important for the manager to talk directly with the employees. This will help in boosting the confidence of the employees enabling them to give innovative ideas and making them more efficient for the organization (Robbins et al, 2013). Setting an example: It is important for the higher authority to motivate its employees with the help of examples. The managers of the firm should always be excited with the new goals and endeavors, which help in creating a positive impact on the employees (Amir et al 2015). The above discussion clearly highlights what Google should do to keep the spirit of entrepreneurship in their organization. References Amir, M. T. (2015). Entrepreneurial Behavior and Innovative Behavior: A Conceptual Clarification. The Asian Journal of Technology Management Vol, 8(2), 161-172. CORPORATE ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION AT GOOGLE, INC. (2016). thecasecentre.org. Retrieved 3 June 2016, from https://www.thecasecentre.org/educators/products/view?id=120454 Kanhaiya, D. K. (2013). Creating Entrepreneurial Culture in a Large Organization. Journal of Advanced Research in Economics and International Business, 1(2), 2. Robbins, S., Judge, T. A., Millett, B., Boyle, M. (2013). Organisational behaviour. Pearson Higher Education AU. Steiber, A., Alnge, S. (2013). A corporate system for continuous innovation: the case of Google Inc. European Journal of Innovation Management, 16(2), 243-264. Washburn, M., Bromiley, P. (2014). Managers and analysts: An examination of mutual influence. Academy of Management Journal, 57(3), 849-868.