The Psychology of Work and Google's Talent Management Strategies

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Google's talent management strategies, focusing on the psychology of work and organizational behavior. It examines Google's approach to measuring, identifying, and retaining talent within the company, including its recruitment methods, employee development programs, and retention strategies. The report outlines problems faced by Google, such as the use of brain-teaser questions in interviews and anti-poaching agreements, and evaluates the effectiveness of the strategies employed to address these issues. The analysis draws on relevant psychological literature and offers critical evaluations and recommendations for future actions, including suggestions for improving recruitment processes, employee training, and ethical considerations related to employment practices. The report also considers the potential benefits and drawbacks of these recommendations and their applicability to other organizations. The conclusion summarizes the key findings and insights regarding Google's talent management practices.

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF
WORK AND
ORGANISATIONS

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Theoretical background of relevant psychological literature......................................................1
Outlining the problems faced by Google and strategies to address these issues........................2
Does evidence suggest that issues were effectively addressed? Why or Why not?....................3
Based on critical evaluation, recommend further actions for Google to take in relation to
issues...........................................................................................................................................4
Would you expect any potential benefits or drawbacks as a result of recommendations
provided.......................................................................................................................................5
Would you expect these recommendations to be effective in other organisations? Why or why
not?..............................................................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
The psychology of work and organisations refers to effectively measuring talent,
identifying talent and also retaining them in the business organisation. It aims covering the major
and important aspects of the business such as individuals, team and operational effectiveness,
innovation and creativity, cross-cultural leadership and management and also recruitment and
selection of talents within organisation. Google is an American multinational technology
company that deals in internet related products and services. These includes search engines,
cloud computing, online advertising, software and hardware. The present report evaluates the
effectiveness of measuring, identifying and retaining talents in the company Google. The report
also includes recommendations to Google which are underpinned by the research and theory in
the provided case study.
MAIN BODY
Theoretical background of relevant psychological literature.
The psychology of work and organisation aims at analysing and intervening in labour
practices in order to bring improvements and creating the conditions that provides more efficient
workplace and retains employees within organisation (Armstrong, 2018). Talent management
refers to anticipating of required human resources or capital for the organisation and also making
plans for meeting those needs. Talent management is referred as strategic human resource
planning that aims at improving business value and also makes it possible for organisation to
accomplish the overall goals and objectives. This includes recruiting, selecting, developing, and
retaining talents within the business organisation. The talent management psychological
literature needs to interlink with the business strategies in order to function in more appropriate
way.
Measuring, identifying, developing and retaining talent is the concern of every business
organisation as it will lead to bring effective results and outcomes and also benefits in
accomplishment of objectives. Measuring or identifying talent refers to that the recruitment of
individual needs to be done that it matches the needs of business and also with strategic goals
and objectives of business. Therefore, Google focuses on aligning the talent measurement
strategy with business strategy in order to get the most effective and efficient results and
outcomes (How to Attract, Develop and Retain High-Performing Talent, 2017).
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Developing talent refers to organisation aims at developing and improving the
performance of employees so that they come up with innovation and creation. Developing talent
done in right way lead to bring effective results for organisation. Google aims at providing
effective programs and benefits to employees in order to develop their talent and skills.
Developing talent leads to bring high return on investment as it brings effectiveness in business
operations and activities. Employees are provided with challenging tasks so that they come up
with effective solutions for the same and brings innovation and creation in business activities.
Retaining talent refers to organisation aiming at retaining those talents within the
organisation. Google aims at retaining the talent within the organisation so that it leads to bring
effective outcomes and reduces employee turnover. When employees have developed their skills
and talent, organisation gets the benefits, therefore, it focuses on retaining those talented
employees within the organisation in order to get further benefits.
Outlining the problems faced by Google and strategies to address these issues
Google aims at recruiting the employees who are great at lots of things and also look for
the ways that can develop their skills and talent (Amado, 2018). The company then focuses on
retaining them in the business organisation. Google aims at recruiting the best employees and the
ones who are great at many things. Google used brain-teaser type questions in the interviews and
also asked candidates for solving the puzzles, like 'How many golf balls can fit in a bus?' or '
How much would you charge for cleaning all the windows in Seattle?'. This type of questions
were asked in order to identify the creativity of candidates and getting insight of individuals
problem-solving skill. This was the issue faced by Google as these type of questions were thing
of past and these questions were also unrelated to individuals performance in organisation. The
strategies adopted by Google to resolve the problem of selection procedure is adopting structured
behaviour interviews as it provides better outcomes (Notelaers and et.al., 2019).
The selection procedure of Google also included candidate's grade point average from
college or university. This was also one of the problem faced by Google as this was also
unrelated with actual performance of candidate within organisation. Google focus on improving
the selection process by adopting the strategies of increasing the candidate's proportion and
employing the people who have never been to college or university (Hopp, 2018). As Google
thinks that skills which are needed organisation are not necessarily developed through formal
education.
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Google focus on retaining its employees and satisfying them effectively, but it has a
darker side as well. Google and other technical firms such as Apple had made anti-poaching
agreements with each other. Anti-poaching agreements is made between two different and
unrelated companies for not hiring each other's employees. And Google strongly and strictly
enforced this agreement in 2007 and dismissed one of the recruiter who approached an employee
of Apple company. These illegal arrangements between company's makes employees financially
damaged and this are the subject for class action lawsuit in USA.
One of the issues faced by Google also includes elimination of the engineering
management roles as highly skilled and technical staff thought that best thing managers and
leader can do is to let people complete the work on their own (Hopp, 2018). The strategy used
for resolving this problem was reintroduction of management positions within organisation.
Because, Google realised that encouraging ideas and improving productivity among staff is
important task done by managers and the founders does not need to deal with resolving conflicts
and routine activities. Google also adopted the strategy to provide power of decision making to
employees and also freedom for bringing innovation and creation.
Does evidence suggest that issues were effectively addressed? Why or Why not?
Google is the search engine company that was founded in the year 1998, and it also
specializes in internet related products and services. Google has become so successful that it has
turned as the synonymous of searching the web. The company aims at selecting and recruiting
the best employees who come up with innovative and creative ideas and also are great at many
things. Therefore, the company used different types of recruitment strategies through it was
looking for talented and skilled employees. But every strategy and plan was having issues
because of the changing business environment and changing recruitment processes (Tuckey,
Sonnentag and Bryan, 2018).
The evidence suggest that some of the selected strategies were useful for Google as it
helped in recruiting the best employees, but some of the strategies did not address the issues
properly. The company used to ask different brain-teaser type of questions to candidates in order
to check their intelligence and problem-solving skills. But after analysing the information
regarding people's performance of interview and their actual performance at job, the results were
that there was no connection between those questions and their roles at job. Therefore, the
company then changed the selection and recruitment process and adopted structured behaviour
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interviews. The evidence states that brain-teaser type question did not address the goals of
recruiting best and talented employees (Ågotnes and et.al., 2018).
The evidence also suggest that Google was considering candidate's grade point average
while selection and recruitment process. But this was not actually related with the actual
performance of candidate at the job. So this issue and problem was resolved by making further
changes in the selection procedure. And evidence suggests that issues were effectively addressed
as because Google realised that the skills and knowledge they are looking for are not necessarily
developed and gained from formal education system.
Google also launched 'Project Oxygen' for identifying good leaders present in the
company and this was a data- mining exercise which aims at reviewing the employees surveys
and management feedback reports and also the performance reviews. This all was done for
finding out what characterised as good leader at the company Google. The evidence suggest that
this helped organisation to achieve great results and outcomes through this Project Oxygen.
Based on critical evaluation, recommend further actions for Google to take in relation to issues
Google used to ask brain-teaser type question in the recruitment procedure and also ask
candidates for solving puzzles. But the questions asked at interview process were not related to
the actual job performance of employees. Therefore it is recommended that Google needs to
make use of different strategies to be adopted for bringing effective changes in the recruitment
and selection process. Google needs to understand the different areas of psychology which focus
on understanding complexities of human nature and their behaviour. This will help company to
adopt more beneficial and effective strategy for recruitment and selection procedure (Steels and
Brooks, 2018).
The attempt for identifying good leadership within company helps Google to review
survey of employee, feedback from management and also the performance reviews. This effort
benefits company to find out the best managers and leaders having the happiest and best
performing teams having higher retention rates as well. It is suggested and recommended that
employees also needs to be given with training and development programs for increasing their
skills and knowledge and bringing better outcomes for company.
Google also spends on retaining employees in the organisation and provides them with
various benefits. This leads to bring effective outcomes for overall organisation. But the negative
factor of Google is that it makes anti-poaching agreements with different tech companies. This
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leads to bring negative impacts on the Google company as this illegal arrangements are subject
to class action lawsuit in USA that alleges that employees become financially damaged.
Therefore, it is recommended that Google needs to ensure that it does not hold any illegal
arrangement with anyone that it leads to bring negative impacts on any-one.
Would you expect any potential benefits or drawbacks as a result of recommendations provided
Google aims at satisfying and motivating employees so that they can come up with better
and innovative ideas and suggestions that helps organisation to achieve better results and
outcomes. Google aims at effectively measuring and identifying talent in the organisation so that
it can gain better outcomes and accomplish overall goals and objectives of company (Steels and
Brooks, 2018). The organisation also makes effective efforts for developing and retaining talents
within the organisation.
Yes, there may be potential benefits for Google organisation for the recommendations
provided. The recommendations suggest that company needs to ensure that there anti-poaching
agreements or any other arrangements did not lead to bring any negative impacts on the
employee's career or on anyone. This can bring benefits to both employee and Google will not
face any lawsuit as well. The drawback for removing or reducing the impacts of anti-poaching
agreements can be that any other tech firm can hire employee of Google.
Google needs to also focus on developing talents and skills of employees so that it may
bring further benefits for company (Renard and Snelgar, 2018). The transparency component of
culture of the Google describes that it aims at collecting and analysing various information. This
also helps to develop and open communication in organisation which most vital. The voice
component of Google's culture describes that it attempts to recognise the best and provides
coaching to the worst. And this will lead to bring benefits for both employees and organisation.
The recommendations also suggested that organisation needs to focus on understand
various areas of psychology that brings influences and impacts on the behaviours of human
nature as this will make organisation to adopt better and effective strategies. The strategies will
lead to bring effective results in every area of operations and activities for Google.
Would you expect these recommendations to be effective in other organisations? Why or why
not?
Yes, the recommendations provided can be used by other organisations as well for
bringing effective results and outcomes (Beattie and McGuire, 2018). The recommendations
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suggests that organisation needs to focus on providing training and development programs to
employees so that they also feel satisfied and motivated. These training and development
programs will ensure that it develops skills, knowledge and abilities of employees that can be
used in business activities and operations. This will result in increasing effectiveness in
performance of employees and improved business activities.
The recommendations also suggest that company needs to ensure that any agreements
made does not lead to bring any negative impacts on employee or anyone. And this suggestion
will also bring effective benefits of other companies as well.
The recommendations are also made that company needs to understand the psychology of
human nature so that it can effectively understand their behaviour effectively. The other
company can also get benefit of it and achieve better results and outcomes (Notelaers and et.al.,
2019). This will organisation to understand the human behaviour and nature effectively, and
organisation can formulate effective business policies and strategies that will bring effective
results and outcomes.
CONCLUSION
Every business organisation aims at recruiting and selecting best and talented candidates
so that they can bring effective outcomes and results. The present report draws research on work
and organisational psychology and evaluates the effectiveness of various approaches. The
different approaches are measuring and identifying talent, developing talent and retaining those
talents within the organisation. The report also provides explaination for various issues faced by
company and various strategies taken for resolving the issues. The report also includes some
recommendations made for further actions regarding to issues and its benefits or drawbacks. At
last the report suggests that if recommendations are effective for other organisations or not.
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REFERENCES
Books And Journal
Ågotnes, K. W. and et.al., 2018. The moderating effect of laissez‐faire leadership on the
relationship between co‐worker conflicts and new cases of workplace bullying: A true
prospective design. Human Resource Management Journal. 28(4). pp.555-568.
Amado, G., 2018. Leaders in transition: The tensions at work as new leaders take charge.
Routledge.
Amado, G., 2018. The transitional approach in action. Routledge.
Armstrong, D., 2018. Organization in the mind: Psychoanalysis, group relations and
organizational consultancy. Routledge.
Beattie, G. and McGuire, L., 2018. The psychology of climate change. Routledge.
Hopp, W. J., 2018. Positive lean: merging the science of efficiency with the psychology of
work. International Journal of Production Research. 56(1-2). pp.398-413.
Notelaers, G. and et.al., 2019. Measuring bullying at work with the short-negative acts
questionnaire: identification of targets and criterion validity. Work & Stress. 33(1).
pp.58-75.
Renard, M. and Snelgar, R. J., 2018. Can non-profit employees’ internal desires to work be
quantified? Validating the Intrinsic Work Motivation Scale. South African Journal of
Psychology. 48(1). pp.48-60.
Steels, L. and Brooks, R., 2018. The artificial life route to artificial intelligence: Building
embodied, situated agents. Routledge.
Tuckey, M. R., Sonnentag, S. and Bryan, J., 2018. Are state mindfulness and state work
engagement related during the workday?. Work & Stress. 32(1). pp.33-48.
Online
How to Attract, Develop and Retain High-Performing Talent. 2017. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.nonprofithr.com/attract-develop-retain-high-performing-talent/>
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