Company Overview
Google was founded with a simple mission “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful” (Google.com, Overview 2011). The founders believed that the world would be a better place if everyone had access to the same information, anywhere, anytime. Did Google founders really understand the potential this mission and their belief would have in changing the way we all live and work?
Google founders had developed a way to accomplish this mission technologically yet they needed a corporate culture that would help them to fulfill and maintain this mission. The culture created and maintained by Google’s founders is one of encouragement, open communication, and constant innovation which is accomplished by providing an open, flexible work environment that fosters the sharing of ideas and opinions. Every employee is considered to be a hand’s on contributor, wears several hats and is encouraged to speak up (Google.com, Culture 2011). Employees are given the opportunity to work on personal projects while at work which has fostered the creation of new products like Gmail, Buzz, Wave and others (Forbes, 2010).
These espoused values are clearly in line with Google’s enacted values. This is evident in Google’s products, its search capabilities, which allow the users of its technology the ability for open communication and the sharing of ideas and opinions by providing access to information from various sources including books, publications, presentations, blogs and much more. As a company focused on innovation and creativity, Google has created an explosion of creativity and innovation in today’s world. It has created easy access to all a wealth of information that is today available online.
Google also takes its open communication value to the outside world. When Google’s Street View Project inadvertently broadcast out personal information collected by Google over individuals’ unsecured Wi-Fi routers, Google responded by admitting that this had occurred and made every attempt to fix the problem. Being upfront with this issue allowed for forgiveness from the FTC and it completed its investigation (Forbes, 2010).
Communication and an organization’s culture
An organization’s culture defines the communication style used within that organization. Communication is how information flows within an organization which creates the results an organization will achieve. Effective communication is an essential component of organizational success at all levels. Google’s minimal management levels create what is considered to be a “flat” organization with very few levels of management (Johansson, 2010). This minimal hierarchy organizational structure creates a more democratic culture that empowers its employees to collaborate and make decisions that will result in the ongoing success of the company. Google’s open leadership style supports this collaborative environment and creates an open communication culture within the organization where everyone is encouraged to express their opinions, thoughts and ideas. The ability for employees to express their ideas openly allows Google to develop new innovative products to address the changing needs of the market. Kevin Ryan, Vice President of SearchEngineWatch.com was quoted as saying “the Google culture is probably one of the most positive, influential, all-encompassing, productivity-inducing environments the world has ever seen” (Puchala, 2007).
Communication, perception and organizational culture
Perception is defined as the active process of becoming aware and understanding ones environment that is unique to the individual and is strongly influenced by communication (McGaan, 2011). Employees will create perceptions based on the way they see or believe their environment to be. Perception is reality to most people. Poor communication within an organization may lead to a negative perception of the organization which creates a culture of negativity. The best way to improve perception is to improve communications. A study of 150 senior executives stated that “companies can create more positive and productive working environments by ensuring managers are available, willing to listen and dedicated to getting workers involved (Gadd, 2008). A part of Google’s success can be attributed to its management’s willingness to listen. As stated in the definition of Google’s culture, “no one hesitates to pose questions directly to Larry or Sergey in weekly all-hands meetings or over a volley ball game” (Google.com Culture, 2011).
Misalignment of values and perceptions
The choices companies make leads to their success or failure and perception plays a key role in these business decisions. People make decisions every day on what they perceive based on their interpretation of the situation and the environment. In a business environment what individuals perceive as their work situation will influence their productivity. If the espoused values are different than the enacted values of company, individuals’ perception of the company will be inaccurate which may lead to poor decisions. Google’s “flat” organizational structure and espoused values of open communication drive the success of the company (Johansson, 2010). It is critical that the espoused values align with the enacted values so that the perception within the organization remains positive as decisions within the organization are made by individuals and small groups and not necessarily management.

Identify the role of conflict in group communication.
Conflict is a given in a group setting. Not all group members will agree as there are many choices and options in resolving issues. Conflict within a group is not always bad and is created by the differences of opinion and personalities within the group. If the group focuses on the personalities within the group then the conflict can be detrimental to the group leading to bad feelings and no resolution (Beebe and Masterson, 2006, p. 4). If in turn the group works together and focuses on the issues at hand and the evidence to support those issues, conflict can create resolution. This is evidenced by jury’s in a courtroom setting on a daily basis.
The relaxed, open culture created by Google provides for more in-prompt-to collaboration resulting in the creation of small groups and group meetings. In this type of an environment, a few people start talking in the hallway or in the coffee room and an idea for a new product may be the result. But this result does not come without conflict however in Google’s open environment, the willingness to resolve conflict may be less of an issue as management encourages out-of-the-box thinking and all ideas are considered.