Question

Case Study

Google and P&G Swap Employees

The cultures of the two companies could not be more different. Procter & Gamble (P&G) is notoriously controlled, disciplined, scalable and rigid—so much so that employees call themselves ‘Proctoids’. Google is just as famous for its laid-back, unstandardised, free-flowing culture.

So what would cause these two large, successful examples of a strong—yet dissimilar—corporate culture to decide to socialise each another’s employees? One reason clearly is marketing: P&G sees more of its future marketing efforts occurring online, and Google, of course, is an ideal fit for that strategy. Google, for its part, sees P&G as the ultimate ‘heavy hitter’ buyer for its ad space (P&G is the biggest advertiser in the world).

However, it also seems clear that this is about more than marketing. After all, P&G and Google do business with plenty of organisations with which they don’t swap employees. Both companies believe that, by exposing key managers to a culture that emphasises innovation but in a wholly different way, they can push their own innovation even further.

Sometimes we learn the most from the ways in which we are different, and that’s certainly the case here. In one of the early employee swaps, Denise Chudy, a Google sales-team leader, stunned P&G managers with recent data indicating that online search for the word ‘coupons’ was up 50 percent in the past year. P&G staffers see themselves as members of one of the world’s most innovative and data-driven organisations, famous for tracking consumer preferences, product use and buying behaviour. They are not easily stunned. To enter Google’s own universe was a humbling, and challenging, learning experience.

Google’s swapped employees are learning something too. When poring over decades of marketing materials on P&G’s Tide detergent and the firm’s allegiance to bright orange packaging, Google employee Jen Bradburn wrote, ‘It’s a help to know not to mess with the orange too much’.

Differences, of course, are still apparent. When one P&G manager showed Google employees a 1954 ad for Tide, he proudly noted, ‘That’s when you reached 70% to

80% of your audience with television’. The Google team laughed in astonishment.

Reading the above case study , answer the following Questions (about 150 words each )

1. Do you think the ‘employee swap’ between Google and P&G is a good idea for all companies? Why or why not? Why do so few companies do this?

2. One of the reasons P&G and Google agreed to the swap was to transmit the best aspects of the other company’s culture to their own. Drawing from the chapter, describe how culture might be transmitted in such ‘swaps’.

3. Which culture—Google’s or P&G’s—do you think would fit you best? Why?

4. Would you enjoy an employee swap with a company with a very different culture? Why or why not?

Answer 1

PLEASE LIKE THIS ANSWER, IT HELPS ME A LOT. THANK YOU!!!

YOUR ONE LIKE CAN REALLY HELP ME.THANKS!

Do you think the ‘employee swap’ between Google and P&G is a good idea for all companies? Why or why not? Why do so few companies do this?

I assume it is a smart idea for both businesses to switch between Google and P&G because, as the article states, it is certainly a positive thing to open yourself to changes. -- business differs significantly, regardless of whether it is in similar and separate industries. Various methods, various ways of working and entirely different working conditions are used. Innovation is driven by these diverse conditions. You can get ideas if you are introduced to something you don't know from your everyday work.

These are ideas that allow you to innovate in your business, but also to offer your visitors ideas to the company. The business you are visiting can be recommended and the recommendations can be taken from both. This is a win-win situation for both parties. I assume that very few businesses have the resources to send workers to swapp with another company. They 're not really. Another explanation may be that you don't really see the trade value, because you think that the benefits do not outweigh the stay of the employee and his regular payments.

One of the reasons P&G and Google agreed to the swap was to transmit the best aspects of the other company’s culture to their own. Drawing from the chapter, describe how culture might be transmitted in such ‘swaps’.

In these swaps, culture can be transmitted only by observing what happens in each group. If the divisions are huge, you will see what the control chain is, whether the control period is wide or low. You can also say by changing how the business is working and whether it's working smoothly and efficiently.

Which culture—Google’s or P&G’s—do you think would fit you best? Why?

I personally feel that because of the restrained mindset, Google's structure is best for me. I am a very laid back and easy-goer, and I assume that working in that sort of atmosphere will be a smooth transition. While this form of atmosphere can not be argued for encouraging hard work, I disagree. Google has proved to be one of the most influential organizations of all time and I think that has a lot to do with the way people communicate and the world they view everyday.Google workers have plenty of independence and creativity comes to us daily from this independence. Google is always coming up with something fresh and improved, so I can have such flexibility and minimal pressure, both at home and at work, which eventually allows me to live almost stress-free living.

Would you enjoy an employee swap with a company with a very different culture? Why or why not?

While I want to switch with an organization with a very different culture, I'm not sure I 'd like that. This definitely would be an interessant experience, but if, for instance, I were at Google and enjoyed its laid-down style, then it would be quite a shock to a business like P&G, with entirely different cultures. I think it really does take a while for the people and the community you work with to get used to and gel.

I don't think you will blend in correctly. Nevertheless, the business for which you exchange may have some very interesting strategies that might help the company you are working with. Overall, however, I really want to stress that, by swapping with a company, I think there isn't much to lose, particularly a very different one. Even without any valuable details, it's still an excellent experience and there will still be the chance of having something interesting to bring back to your business.

PLEASE LIKE THIS ANSWER, IT HELPS ME A LOT. THANK YOU!!!