Google is a California based global technology company that offers a myriad of internet related products and services such as search, email services, video sharing, cloud computing and a variety of software. It has been voted for years in a row as among the most innovative companies in the world.
At the heart of Google’s innovation is its company philosophy, on its website the company lists ten things that it believes in. Focusing on the user is first on this list; this is a very important philosophy as it ensures that the company always aims to fulfill the users’ needs and wants. Demands are always changing and for a company that aims to always focus on the user, continuous commitment to solving the users’ problems and fulfilling their needs is at the core of its activities. This means continuous innovation of products and services that serve the users, this is what makes Google innovative.
Sometimes people do not know that they need a particular service or product and it is up to any successful company to produce goods and services that will make life easier for its users. Google has perfected this by creating one of the best working environments in the world for its employees. The company has put in place strategies and mechanisms that maximize employee creativity which has led to it being the most innovative company, fostering creativity and taking everyone’s opinion seriously.
Another key element that makes Google a very innovative company is its ability to take risks and sail into uncharted waters. Google is an internet service provider but it decided to venture into the creation of an open source mobile operating system, Android. This product has been very successful and has challenged even established mobile companies such as Apple and Research in Motion.
The innovativeness of Google has really increased its competitive advantage in the market place. This is evidenced by its high turnover of 23.6 Billion in 2009 and also the very impressive performance of their stock in the stock exchange. This is mainly because Google has been very innovative especially in the search product by indexing millions of pages and continuously seeking to increase its speed. Today the name Google is synonymous with making a wed search which has made it the number one choice for internet advertising through its products such as AdSense. This is its main source of revenue that brings in millions of dollars every year.
Google has endeavored to package itself as a one stop shop for all internet needs, if one need to find a page there is Google search, if one needs to send an email there’s Gmail, if one needs to upload or watch a video there YouTube. It is this kind of innovation in all the key areas in internet service provision that has really increased Google’s competitive advantage as this Google products are synonymous with these service like the way ‘Googling’ something is synonymous with a web search.
Despite huge success in internet service provision, Google has ventured into other areas notably their mobile operating system Android. This has made Google a force to reckon with and a company that people need to watch out for. This has increased its competitive advantage in the market and also increased its brand recognition, today when people want any internet service or software they ask themselves, does Google have a service for this? Now that’s innovation!
REFERENCES
http://www.google.com/about/company/philosophy/
Nussbaum, Bruce. (2006) What The World’s Top Managers Say Why It Is So Innovative.
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