Innovation and Risk Taking at Google

Shona Brown is the 'Senior Vice President, Business Operations' at Google.

She wrote Competing on the Edge: Strategy as Structured Chaos:

Brown has made a career of arguing that anarchy isn't such a bad thing--which is why Page, co-founder Sergey Brin, and CEO Eric Schmidt hired her in 2003

(Fortune Magazine)

(Adam Lashinsky. Fortune. New York: Oct 2, 2006. Vol. 154, Iss. 7; pg. 86)

This reference fills in some gaps as to how Google runs its operations. It fits in with our analysis that Google is 'Theory O' and 7s/congruence are tied to their take on the environment and
disruptive innovation:

The way to succeed in "fast-paced, ambiguous situations," she tells me, is to avoid creating too much structure, but not to add too little either.

Our basic narrative of maturity and managing financial and brand risks and how to maintain oversight/governance while still maintaining the devolved organisation structure.

Google is  reminiscent of Enron 'Smartest Guys in the Room' in organisation structure and outwardly ethos.

John


Yes - I still have my posts about 7s in drafts - will also add to report.

Blogged with the Flock Browser