ANNA BAIRD: Hi, I'm Anna Baird, and I'm a subject matter expert
here at Google on business transformation and change
management programs.
I'm thrilled to get the chance to unpack
some of Google's innovation principles here for you today.
At Google, innovation is our lifeblood.
Every Googler is encouraged to innovate, to be creative,
and to dream big.
And it's this secret sauce that Google
has to foster such an environment that truly
and honestly encourages people to be innovators while
in their day jobs.
Let me set the scene with a short story.
Google has many products that were originally
developed as pet projects.
With a little sponsorship, some breathing room to be creative,
and a platform to share the results,
these ideas came to life as real products.
For example, Gmail started as a single engineer's pet project.
By the time it launched as a public beta in April 2004,
almost everyone at Google was using Gmail for their email.
Gmail now serves more than a billion monthly users.
Isn't that remarkable?
A similar story can be told for Google Drive.
Started as a small project, Drive
was introduced to the public April 2012
and now also serves more than a billion users.
Giving Googlers room to innovate has turned ideas
into real products that are now serving billions of users.
To date, we have seven offerings at Google
that have more than a billion users.
First up in our innovation principles
is the bedrock of everything we do at Google--
focus on the user.
This phrase has become such an anthem for Googlers
all around the world because the business firmly
believes that if you start with your user,
all else will follow.
These words are said in many meetings
and in many project documents on a regular basis.
Rooted and built from the design thinking methodology
in partnership with Stanford University,
empathy for the user is the perfect starting point
for any design process.
For example, take Search, the basis
for Google's original business, organizing
the world's information so that it's
accessible and useful for all.
Initially, Google wanted users to type in a name or a need
in the search bar, and results would then populate.
That makes sense and is a straightforward problem
to solve.
But then Google realized, what if the name was misspelled,
or the question wasn't clear, or was written in another language
initially and then translated?
This is when the Search team's scope truly expanded.
Google started to explore solutions
like predictive text or searches that other people had
made before.
The emergence of these solutions allowed for more volatility
in how users searched and accounted
for potential mishaps that would steer the search off course.
Google aims to be data driven about our internal decision
making at all times.
This idea to focus on the user has
bred a subprinciple to bet on technical insights
to solve problems.
Put into practice, this means allowing solutions to be tested
and using technical insights gathered along the way
to iterate on solutions to solve problems.
Freedom to innovate principle is number two,
and that is the idea of creating an environment that fosters
a culture of innovation.
Google believes that the best way
to innovate is to push the boundaries of what's
possible with our existing and developing projects.
As an example, let's look at how Google
has taken Search from reactive to suggestive for the users,
having Googlers really drive out-of-box thinking
and to challenge the impossible, asking ourselves questions
like could we allow users to see a restaurant's ratings, menu,
opening and closing times all in one window pane?
What would Google then need to do to make this happen?
Well, perhaps cut advertising space on the page
to make more space for information.
Perhaps reorder the way the text and pictures
appear on the page.
Perhaps bake in the up-to-date timing for the user
based on their location settings.
The possibilities to be suggestive
were and are endless.
This is why Google's Search pages are constantly being
changed, tweaked, and updated.
And while it might seem crazy, allowing for constant change
is how Google follows our second freedom to innovate principle.
Finally, the third principle is to think 10x,
sometimes called a moonshot.
Thinking 10x and not just 10% is all about
coming up with radical solutions to huge problems.
These solutions provide 10 times improvement to the way things
are currently done, and not just a 10% incremental fix.
A great example of this in history is Henry Ford's quote.
"If you had asked the people what they wanted,
they would have said faster horses."
That's 10% better.
Instead, a small incremental change, Ford
focused on radical ideas that produce radical change.
That's 10x thinking.
Google encourages its employees to make long-term bets in order
to find opportunities to really expand projects
and to explore ideas that are big and scary
and take time to really unpack.
What is most unique about Google moonshot
is thinking and focusing on rapid experimentation.
We want our employees to feel comfortable to fail fast
and to learn and to try again.
Many outsiders to Google ask questions like,
how many failures is enough?
And when is a project at a point where it is a moonshot?
And the reality is there is no single answer to define success
in these terms.
Google has created outlets for employees
to seek advice and support for their 10x thinking
through programs such as 20% projects.
For instance, the first thing you
do when you have a moonshot idea is
to find five people in the business to support your idea.
Once you have their backing, you can use that
as the basis of your project proposal.
You have several options for your idea--
20% projects, secondments, rotations,
and even more substantial testing programs
like Google Ventures and Google X.
Now that's a pretty great way to encourage your employees
to look at the art of impossible and really
stretch themselves to innovate.
I hope you enjoyed hearing about Google's innovation principles.
Perhaps we've lit the fire under you to focus on the user,
create an environment where everyone has freedom
to innovate, and to go out there and create your own moonshots.
Good luck.