Google innovation

I have always been fascinated with Google. There was never a dramatic launch nor a great announcement of its arrival. Yet, it has innocently become a major part of our lives. I cannot imagine not being able to “google” something that I do not understand. We can see where we live or where our relatives halfway around the world are using google earth. Theres all sorts of other applications. I know I cannot function without my gmail. Soon, we will all be talking on Google phones.

I recently read an article by Chuck Salter on how google uses innovation to get ahead. Let me share what Marissa Mayer’s, VP of search products and customer experience, 9 principle of innovation.

INNOVATION, NOT INSTANT PERFECTION. - Most companies adopt castle building strategies, which means literally building a castle. They spend years and millions on trying to build a perfect product. Google adopts the opposite. It’s called “Launch early and often”, which is to have something working at the end of the day and continue to refine and improve it everyday. Marissa says, “'The Googly thing is to launch it early on Google Labs and then iterate, learning what the market wants--and making it great.”

IDEAS COME FROM EVERYWHERE – Google has a voting list where new ideas are continuously posted and voted on by everybody. It is available and accessible literally to everybody. “It's like a voting pool where you can say how good or bad you think an idea is. Those comments lead to new ideas."

LICENSE TO PURSUE YOUR DREAMS – Google has a policy that allows engineers to spend 20% of their time pursuing whatever their interests are. This allows for very creative product development.

MORPH PROJECTS DON’T KILL THEM – Any project that makes it to “labs” means that it has potential. “It is our job to turn it into something that market will respond to”

SHARE AS MUCH INFORMATION AS YOU CAN – There is a internal intranet called MOMA which tracks everything that people are doing. People post their projects, queries, etc. and allows everybody to contribute on anything.

USERS, USERS, USERS – The focus is on the users and not money. “We believe that if we focus on the users , money will come.” The focus is not to get paid by subscription but to generate so much users that advertisers will pay for sponsorship.

DATA IS APOLITICAL. – Choosing which design or direction to go with is a result of the facts. By removing the human element, it allows for an apolitical decision and not just because the “BOSS” likes it.

CREATIVITY LOVES CONSTRAINTS - Google believes that people work best when they are handed constraints. It forces people to think out of the box. The engineers are told, 'We know you said it was impossible, but we're going to do this, this, and that to get us there.'

YOUR BRILLIANT, WERE HIRING - Google gets the best people. The best people are given the freedom to foster their creativity and needs.

Google has mastered the art of innovation. Innovation is a key driver for businesses to succeed especially in this fast changing world today. But change caused by innovation is very hard for many people to accept, until they notice that it has already been accepted. Larry Ellison, founder and CEO of ORACLE, captured it brilliantly when he said, “When you innovate, you've got to be prepared for everyone telling you you're nuts.” 

On a side note, I would like to invite everyone to come and check out EYEBAR , at the second level of The Walk, Asiatown I.T. Park. It is a new concept optical boutique that has the look and feel of a bar, and is even open up to midnight just like one. It is a radical twist on your typical optical clinic. As part of our opening, we are raffling off an Apple Macbook Air for Christmas. Who doesn’t want the world’s lightest and thinnest laptop for free? And yes, we are prepared for people to call us nuts…

Let’s follow the examples of these ordinary individuals as they strive to make a difference. Each week, lets all get together and share knowledge, stories, experiences, information, all for the sole purpose of getting One Step Up.

For comments, suggestions or stories that you want to share, email me at [email protected], or visit www.stirspecialist.blogspot.com.