The highlight of the first Friday in the Woodcock Global Honors Fellowship Program was our visit to Google’s location in Pittsburgh. Mike Capsambelis, a Product Manager for Google, led our group through the facility. The facility seemed more like a modern-day living room as opposed to a company location. The culture was extremely laid back, with various benefits in the workspace for the employees. These benefits included mini-kitchens throughout the building, an arcade, and a full operating coffee shop. The unique environment displayed Google’s appreciation for the well-being and free-thinking of their employees (otherwise known as Googlers).
I believe Google referring to their workers as “Googlers” is an exceptional way to relate to their employees. Mr. Capsambelis emphasized the importance of having the same respect for a new employee as they would have for the authoritative figures of the corporation. I believe this title is a way to equalize the levels of authority in the workplace and makes the employees feel more like family. Googlers are unique, as they are part of the elite group of engineers that are hired by such large corporations. This talent is what sets them apart from other workers in all other industries.
Mr. Capsambelis described Google’s involvement in the local community with their efforts to set up free Wi-Fi access throughout its neighboring region. They also use their resources to support nearby creatives who do not have the resources to project their ideas. It is very commendable of Google to aid the lacking neighborhoods in the Pittsburgh area, and it sheds a favorable light on them as a company. Regarding stakeholder management, the community and employees as stakeholders are satisfied with Google’s local contributions. This satisfaction draws back to the open systems theory because successful companies need to be able to respond to their changing environment in a way that benefits both stakeholders and Google.