For the past few lessons, we analysed the working cultures and management styles of 2 different companies, which are Google and Lenovo. I feel that the different working cultures and management styles of both companies reflect their respective societies. For instance, Google is an American company. An American society believes in freedom, and the equal rights of everyone to speak out. This is evident in Google's working culture and management style, since much amenities are provided for employees to recreate and relax. Employees are also given 20% of their time to develop new projects and come out with new proposals based on their personal interest. These evidences show that Google doesn't restrain its employees but instead gave them more space to develop their own projects and much recreation. Therefore the idea of "Freedom" is evident in Google's working culture. The rights of people to speak out is also manifested in Google's management style. Employers actually listen to employees who have new proposals and who have constructive ideas on the prospects of the company. Employees are also given the right to comment on other people's proposals or project to improve the products together. This shows that Google's employees are not restrained by a strict hierarchy and bureaucracy but are able to voice out their thoughts and improve the products. Therefore the management style and working culture of Google reflects the American society.
I feel that Lenovo's working culture and management style also reflect the Chinese society. China is ruled by the Communist Party, and it still has a huge clout on the society. Communism believes in having a supreme leader or leading group, who will lead the country. This is much evident in Lenovo, where "a powerful CEO gives orders to a hierarchy of workers" (from: http://www.strategy-business.com/article/li00126?gko=a2988). Such leadership resembles Communist Ideology in China as a leading figure rules over the organization. Furthermore, employees in Lenovo are not given the freedom to voice out their opinions in the company. They usually take orders from the manager. According to the URL above, people "frown on lower-level employees proposing ideas to their superiors". This enhances the lack of freedom and rights in Lenovo. Such phenomenon is evident in China, as under Communism rule, people have little freedom and rights and do not have the right to voice out their thoughts to superior leaders. The censored materials and the control of the media caused Chinese individuals to have little freedom on what to watch or do. Therefore, the management style and working culture of Lenovo reflects the Chinese society.
Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages of the 2 management styles and working cultures in modern societies. For Google, I feel that by giving much freedom and the right to talk to employees, more creative ideas will be generated and products would be improved greatly. The reason is that creativity cannot be forced and cannot be squeezed out of one's brain. It requires one to observe, relax, and observe something from different perspectives. Furthermore, by granting 20% of their working time to develop individual project proposals and projects, Google will have a wide spectrum of projects to choose from, which widened their choices and will be beneficial in the long run. By granting employees with the right to voice out their views, Google is actually improving its products. With a greater audience to judge a project, more disadvantages to certain people can be corrected and better insights could be used to improve it.
There are also disadvantages to Google's management style and working culture. Google cannot make sure that its employees are not using the amenities for granted. If employees only use the amenities but do not work, then Google had failed a large investment. Even worse, these attractive amenities act as a distraction for workers who are doing their work. With low commitment and attention, projects would not be done as expected. This will affect the prospects of Google.
Even though writer Holstein, William feels strongly that Lenovo's management style and working culture results in incompetitiveness of the company at the International sphere, I still feel that there are advantages of the "monarchy" regime. When the CEO and a group of executives make a decision, there will be no opposing alternative or view. The order will be implemented promptly, and all the bureaucracy and the procedures would be done. Matters would be resolved with a high level of efficiency within the company, and the organization will be able to progress at a fast pace provided that the decision or order is a wise one.
Then, there comes the disadvantages. If the CEO and the group of executives made the wrong decision, then the prospects of the company would be at a great stake. Micheal Schuman mentions that "Liu guided the company by trial and error through the rapid swings and shifts of China's ever changing economy". This may prove to be dangerous, as when the leader(s) make(s) an incorrect yet important decision, there will be no opposing view in the company. If so, then the whole company will suffer a great loss.
For me, I feel that I am more inclined towards Google's way of management and working culture. I feel that when a company employs a person, it should provide the employee with the necessary space and time for one to work according to their own ways and preferences. Only by working comfortably can one develop one's own potential. The amenities in Google further enriches the conducive environment for creativity and high-efficiency work to thrive. Even though policies may be implemented at a slower rate, major mistakes are minimised as a greater crowd of people are providing feedback on the different products. By having many constructive feedback from its workers, Google is able to take care of the common problems faced by the populace and to meet their expectations. Even though Lenovo also has breached impossible benchmarks with its strict hierarchy, I still feel that creativity and meeting the expectations of the masses is critical for great success in the 21st Century.
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Hi KuiShuai. I believe that in addition to the communism influence that was reflected by Lenovo’s management style, it also reflects the Confucian ideology that has been deeply inculcated into the roots of the Chinese society. Confucianism encourages a form of hierarchy which extends from the family level into the national level and in the modern context, also into the ‘company level’. This is seen by the way a powerful CEO giving orders to the rest of the company. However, I think that the lack of freedom and rights that you described is a bit too extreme. First of all, there is no concrete evidence(since it might have been censored) to support that point and most of all, I feel that it is the workers themselves who do not wish to speak up. The Confucian ideology dictates that the workers of lower ranks should have trust in their superiors and obey their commands without question, thus, it does not encourage them to voice out their opinion. I also feel that the rote learning style in China that the workers have been exposed to is also to blame as it makes workers reluctant to express their own opinions. Thank you.
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