Global Training at Google

Question 1 

All the three stages of global management developmental process were included in Google’s training program. In the first stage, understanding worldwide challenges, which states that managers have first to understand the obstacles and challenges they face, and the opportunities as well. They also have to get an understanding of how their efforts and jobs fit into the bigger organizational aims and must develop a mental model of what is required to succeed in the field and how different parts fit together (Steers, Nardon & Sánchez-Runde, 2016). 

From the case study, the Google’s traveling managers tried to understand the challenges they faced in the different places they visited, and how their efforts fitted into the objectives of the organizations they visited. For instance, when they traveled to India, there were no computers in the tiny village outside Bangalore. And when they went to educate about how Google makes life experience of many people around the world humble and unwired, the dialogs with local villages started awkwardly, and one manager noticed that those villagers were not aware of the existence of Google Company. They were also able to understand that the company’s logo, “I’m feeling lucky” gave the villagers a different meaning since the villagers had no clue about the company. Secondly, when they visited China, they learned about the realities of conducting business there. They recognized the challenges of conforming to the censorship and rigid government rules (Steers, Nardon & Sánchez-Runde, 2016). 

In the second stage, which explains that after understanding the global challenge, the next area they have to know is how to access the local settings where they work and make among the alternatives, the appropriate choices. The local environments can be organizational, situational or cultural, and managers must succeed in these three settings to enable them to accomplish their managerial responsibilities and tasks. For instance, when Google travel managers went to Japan, they visited Google Company Shibuya headquarters. They shared with their Japanese fellow employees about the company’s product roadmap, responded to questions, and then listened to what the managers and engineers in every location were focusing on. This interaction enables to learn some organizational environment of various Google offices in Japan (Steers, Nardon & Sánchez-Runde, 2016). 

Also, through interacting with local Googlers, partners and customers, they were able to learn about the local marketplace and discovered that Yahoo Japan was giving them stiff competition. Secondly, in China, through interviewing some consumers, the visiting Google managers were able to how Chinese government block Google’s site access to benefit their local competitor called Baidu.com. Also, they were able to learn about the situational environments when group competition was organized for them both in India and Japan. They had to learn and gain experiences of the new environments they were placed (Steers, Nardon & Sánchez-Runde, 2016). 

In the third stage of developing specific global management goals, the Google traveling managers applied some learning strategies which could help them develop some international management skills. For instance, the techniques the visiting managers used to learn to help them to develop theories-in-use for actions in the future that could be used when they come back to the field (Steers, Nardon & Sánchez-Runde, 2016). 

Question 2 

If I were a participant in Google’s global training program, I would learn the diversified culture of the people in the places I traveled; the Chinese, Indians and Japanese culture to make a better global manager. Learning the beliefs and norms of Indians, Chinese and Japanese entail learning their ways of conducting business, how they interact, how they behave, and some traditional beliefs among others which can have influence global businesses operate in their environment. According to Steers, Nardon, and Sánchez-Runde (2016), learning of diversified culture would enable me to improve my ability as a global manager to function in the multicultural world. Capitalizing on cultural diversity allows a global manager to overcome cultural challenges. Cultural challenges occur due to the differences in behaviors, assumptions, expectations about practices of management, and communication styles across different culture. As such, the ability to handle and work with differences in an effective manner makes one become a better global manager. 

Apart from culture, I would also learn about the changing landscape of those three countries regarding changes in technology and how this affects their business operations. This knowledge will enable me to understand as a global manager, how the changes in technology would affect the global business in these countries. As Steers, Nardon, and Sánchez-Runde (2016) asserts, managers can neither understand globalization nor manage internationally without getting to understand the influence technology has on businesses. 

Question 3: the changes that have impacted Google’s operation in China, India, and Japan 

In China, Google stopped conforming to the censorship rule when a cyber-attack of some Chinese activists occurred. After an investigation was done, Google linked the allegations to the Chinese government and declared that they would filter search results in China as the censorship law required. As a result, Google China search engine from mainland China to Hong Kong site that is not filtered. This move led to the vulnerability of the company being closed completely in China, and as a result, many of its services were not accessible to most users in China. Today, Google is planning to go back and operate in China once again (Wadwell, (2016). 

From the case study, computers lacked in some parts in India, and many of the Indian villagers were not even aware of Google Company. According to Rai (2015), the country has since gone through a digital revolution, and its internet base was rising because of the rapid smartphone adoption. The growing internet base has enabled millions of Indians to access internet monthly, and by 2015, a 400 million plus users of the internet was estimated by year end. In conjunction with the increasing internet base, the Indian government launched a massive Digital program for India to take technology to the rural areas, to steer up its technology adoption. Because of this, India has become the main driver for Google’s growth and its important market too. As a result, Google India has been focusing towards evolving product offerings to fit the distinctive needs of its customers (Rai, 2015). Also, focus on introducing products in Indian language which many of its internet users will use. 

Additionally, according to Thomas (2012), the initial factor for making India a global operation hub is the cost benefit, but this has been replaced by getting the right talent over the previous years. As such, Google lookouts for talent in colleges for graduates with analytical abilities and passion for the internet. 

In Japan, even though Google faced stiff competition from Yahoo Japan at the start, Google remains to be the most common search engine on both mobile and desktops in Japan. As a result, it recently made a change in low content quality also in Japan. The change was intended to measure against sites of low quality shown in Japanese search (Slegg, 2017). 

Question 4: what I will do if I am in charge of the Google’s training program to improve its effectiveness considering the changes 

If I am in charge of the Google training program, I might focus more on sending the visiting managers to go and learn the new ways (maybe through research and development) to develop products that will outperform our competitors in India and Japan. In China, I might stress more learning the cultural and stringent government rules to come up with ways of operating better in the country. 

References 

Rai, S. (2015, December 16). Google Slated For Massive Expansion In India, CEO Sundar Pichai Says. Forbes . Retrieved January 20, 2018, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/saritharai/2015/12/16/google-slated-for-massive-expansion-in-india-ceo-sundar-pichai-says/#575e81297563 

Slegg, J. (2017, February 3). Google Makes Low Quality Content Algo Change in Japan. TheSemPost . Retrieved January 20, 2018, from http://www.thesempost.com/google-makes-low-quality-content-algo-change-japan/ 

Steers, R., Nardon, L., & Sánchez-Runde, C. (2016).  Management across cultures  (3rd ed.). Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. 

Thomas, K. (2012, September 24). Google’s India hub is now the largest outside US. The Hindu Business Line . Retrieved January 20, 2018, from http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/googles-india-hub-is-now-the-largest-outside-us/article3932378.ece 

Wadwell, K. (2016, January 19). Why Google Quit China—and Why It’s Heading Back. The Atlantic . Retrieved January 20, 2018, from https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/01/why-google-quit-china-and-why-its-heading-back/424482/