Comments on: Culture of Innovativeness http://blog.brodzinski.com/2007/12/culture-of-innovativeness.html Dealing with software projects in real life Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:07:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Pawel Brodzinski http://blog.brodzinski.com/2007/12/culture-of-innovativeness.html#comment-1951 Pawel Brodzinski Tue, 04 Dec 2007 08:43:00 +0000 http://blog.brodzinski.com/2007/12/culture-of-innovativeness.html#comment-1951 Google does much to cultivate innovativeness. 20% projects, flat structure (teams going up to 50 people under a single manager), focus on finding creative people during recruitment process, sacred cows made out of developers. Most of smaller companies don't do as much.<br/><br/>But yes, they're focusing on status quo (ads and search engine). Fortunately they're already rich enough to spend big bucks on creative things their people try to do.<br/><br/>As the company grows, and Google will grow, it will be harder to keep the culture. I'm not very revealing to say that in several years from now Google will be in a place Microsoft is now. And we don't consider Microsoft as innovative company any more. Google does much to cultivate innovativeness. 20% projects, flat structure (teams going up to 50 people under a single manager), focus on finding creative people during recruitment process, sacred cows made out of developers. Most of smaller companies don’t do as much.

But yes, they’re focusing on status quo (ads and search engine). Fortunately they’re already rich enough to spend big bucks on creative things their people try to do.

As the company grows, and Google will grow, it will be harder to keep the culture. I’m not very revealing to say that in several years from now Google will be in a place Microsoft is now. And we don’t consider Microsoft as innovative company any more.

]]> By: Don Kim http://blog.brodzinski.com/2007/12/culture-of-innovativeness.html#comment-1950 Don Kim Tue, 04 Dec 2007 04:15:00 +0000 http://blog.brodzinski.com/2007/12/culture-of-innovativeness.html#comment-1950 Insightful post, but my take is that innovation usually occurs during the beginning phase of a company, and starts to diminish more and more as the company grows. This is in no doubt due to the company becoming more conservative so as not to lose market share they worked so hard to obtain.<br/><br/>Your example of Google is not really valid, as their exclusive focus has been on generating ad links, rather then exclusively on innovation.<br/><br/>-Don Kim<br/><a HREF="http://www.donkim.info" REL="nofollow">www.donkim.info</a> Insightful post, but my take is that innovation usually occurs during the beginning phase of a company, and starts to diminish more and more as the company grows. This is in no doubt due to the company becoming more conservative so as not to lose market share they worked so hard to obtain.

Your example of Google is not really valid, as their exclusive focus has been on generating ad links, rather then exclusively on innovation.

-Don Kim
http://www.donkim.info

]]> By: Craig http://blog.brodzinski.com/2007/12/culture-of-innovativeness.html#comment-1949 Craig Mon, 03 Dec 2007 22:04:00 +0000 http://blog.brodzinski.com/2007/12/culture-of-innovativeness.html#comment-1949 Pawell,<br/><br/>Third paragraph: Yep.<br/><br/>What can large companies do? I think the easiest thing is to outsource a part of the innovation work - by buying start-ups (like Google) or by partnering with small innovators in JVs.<br/><br/>Nonetheless, big companies have to constantly fight to keep innovation as a valued attribute and so whether it's well implemented or not it remains important for CEOs and CIOs to say that it's important.<br/><br/>Craig Pawell,

Third paragraph: Yep.

What can large companies do? I think the easiest thing is to outsource a part of the innovation work – by buying start-ups (like Google) or by partnering with small innovators in JVs.

Nonetheless, big companies have to constantly fight to keep innovation as a valued attribute and so whether it’s well implemented or not it remains important for CEOs and CIOs to say that it’s important.

Craig

]]>