Case Analysis: Google's Restructuring to Alphabet - MGT300 Course

This case study examines Google's restructuring into Alphabet, a move designed to improve management and operational efficiency by creating distinct functional units under a new holding company. The analysis identifies challenges in the change process, including a lack of public image for Alphabet, difficulties in resource management, low revenue streams from new business units, and leadership gaps. The study recommends developing a new business strategy that reflects Alphabet's identity, implementing succession planning for future leaders, and employing aggressive marketing strategies to enhance the organization's image. The case study concludes with a call to action, encouraging further exploration of similar cases and academic resources available on Desklib.

Google Restructuring to
Alphabet
Presenter

Google Restructuring
• Google restructured itself to create a new company called “Alphabet”.
• This is a collection of all the companies operating under the umbrella.
• This differentiation led to bigger structure and a larger management
scale (Hern, 2015).
• The change was to ease management of business components by
putting them under a CEO reporting to Alphabet.
• Through differentiation alphabet allows a functional approach in new
outfit (Robbins & Judge, 2007).
• This is to increase operational efficiency.

The Change Process
• This is the transition from Google to Alphabet.
• Top management was to find leaders for new functional units.
• The are to supposed to be charismatic and successful.
• The company has been unable to find the right leaders.
• Current leaders were elevated to higher roles.

The Challenges of the Change Process
• Lack of public image for Alphabet.
• The public image of Alphabet is still low after one year (Smith, 2016) .
• Organizational identity is the driver of success (Rho, Yun, & Lee,
2015).
• Challenges in managing resources from Google to functional
businesses (Tran, 2017).
• Low revenue streams from the business units.
• Leadership challenges that can measure up to the previous Google
company.

Recommendations
• Develop a new business strategy that reflects Alphabet.
• This leads to new ways of managing the organization (Favaro, 2015) .
• Develop succession planning strategies for future leaders.
• Succession planning will improve leadership competencies(Mckeown,
2011).
• Aggressive marketing strategies to improve organizational image.
• Working on the Alphabet brand.

References
• Brandom, R. (2015, August 11). Why Google's Alphabet shakeup makes sense. The
Verge.
• Favaro, K. (2015, September). The Strategy In Alphabet (nee Google). Forbes.
• Hern, A. (2015, August 11). Why Google is restructuring, why the name Alphabet and
how it affects you. The Guardian.
• Lunenburg, F. C. (2012). Organizational Structure: Mintzberg’s Framework.
International Journal of Scholarly, Academic, Intellectual Diversity, 14(1).
• Mckeown, M. (2011). The Strategy Book: How to think and act strategically for
outstanding result. Upper Saddle River, New JerseY: Prentice Hall.
• Rho, E., Yun, T., & Lee, K. (2015). Does Organizational Image Matter? Image,
Identification, and Employee Behaviors in Public and Nonprofit Organizations. Public
Administration Review, 75(3).

• Robbins, S., & Judge, T. (2007). Organizational Behavior. New York:
Pearson Education.
• Shewan, D. (2015, December 24). Everything You Need to Know
About the Google/Alphabet Move . The Word Stream Blog .
• Smith, D. (2016, December 7). One year later, nobody knows what
Alphabet is — and that's a godsend for Google's public-image
problems. Business Insider.
• Tran, S. K. (2017). GOOGLE: a reflection of culture, leader, and
management. International Journal of Corporate Social
Responsibility, 2(10).