Oct 5, 2006

A Little Chaos Is Not A Bad Thing - is it?

Alright - so my late summer break is over and the WorldChanger is back. There's been much to talk about lately - however, today I'm going to focus on commentary from our friends at Google. In a recent Fortune Article - Google Management seemed to indicate that Chaos in the workplace can be a good thing. It's been obvious for some time now -- ever since the company went public two years ago, in fact -- that Google is trying very hard not to become a giant, slow-moving, bureaucratic organization, even as it hires hundreds of people every month and adds millions of square feet worth of office buildings at various locations around the world.

One of the most obvious attempts to retain the energy of a small startup (apart from the free snacks and scooter races in the hallways, of course) is the 20-per-cent rule, which allows Google employees to spend a day each week working on a personal project. According to co-founder Larry Page, those projects have produced some of the company's most successful new ventures, including Google News.

But then when you dine with the devil........ Financial Markets are not inclined to remain patient with Google if they can't maintain their impressive revenue numbers. During the next 3 quarters, I expect to face more pressure from Financial Markets to either start making money from some of their more "chaotic" initiatives - or scrap them and use the funds to improve Search Revenue.

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