Managing Conflict in Google's Corporate Culture

Google has evolved significantly since its debut in 1998. It has gone from an oddity (“Hey, have you heard about that new search site, Google?”) to a household name (“Why don't you check and see what Google has on that subject?”) to a verb synonymous with Internet search (“Google me. I'm a pretty big deal.”). A behind the scenes look at the corporate culture driving this company will reveal how Google has managed to gain such coveted permanence in daily life, how it will manage to stay in its place as the top search engine, and how it will maintain its relevance in the technology market. One definition of culture from Merriam-Webster Online (2010) is “the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization.” That definition requires that both the idealistic vision –values, goals –and the realistic version –attitudes and practices –of an organization be taken into consideration when determining the culture. Google claims to perpetuate a small business culture. It maintains the ideal of a small company by promoting interdepartmental collaboration on projects, which at Google often require at least one person from multiple departments, and during free time with social groups formed for individual hobbies (Google, 2010). These activities offer a chance for coworkers to associate with one another in a professional and personal capacity . Culture and communication are interdependent. How the people in a culture communicate with one another speaks directly to the values of the culture. Alternatively, communication is the best way to ensure that everyone in the culture understands what is important. A culture that values creativity will communicate in a way that promotes creativity. A culture that communicates it commitment to honesty will provide a climate that nurtures that virtue. If a culture were to communicate a value that it did not promote or show in actions, the results would not be desirable. On a small

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