Employees First

It was a quiz this writer wasn't prepared for. Vice President and Managing Director of Google India Rajan Anandan spoke about ambitious goal setting at the company and mentioned its Android Skilling and Certification Programme, launched in mid-2016. Google wanted to train two million Indians in next generation skills over the next three years.

"How many people are in the initiative?"

"How many?"

"Ah, what do you think?"

The guesses started with 100 and narrowed to 10 after three tries.

Anandan corrected. "Two."

His next question was about Internet Saathi, an initiative that started in 2015 with a target to train women across India's 300,000 villages on the benefits of Internet. Google recently partnered Tata Trusts to take it forward.

"How many people did we have before partnering Tata Trusts?"

This time, this writer was cleverer. Two, again.

Google is all about ambition, and having its programmes thinly staffed. Technology plays a crucial role everywhere. However, there is a more important reason why the company can pull off large initiatives with a few people. It spends a lot of time planning the right audacious goals, sets what it calls Objectives and Key Results or OKRs. And then it empowers its employees to figure out how to get there. "It is massive empowerment. Just get it done. That is inspiring," Anandan says. "It is the amazing thing about the human spirit. You hire really smart people, get them excited. And then you empower them, support them. That's our model. Empowerment at scale."

This means there are no leaders who exert control over their subordinates at the company.

Let us take the example of Railway WiFi, Google's effort to connect railway stations with high speed Internet. Gulzar Azad, the company's Country Head of Connectivity, was tasked to make it happen. "It didn't mean he had to come and update us every week. He came to us when he needed help. He has the ability to go and figure out the right partners, figure out how to structure those deals, and what is required for success," Anandan says. "There are few things that make you a less effective leader. At the top of the list is micromanagement."

In the pecking order of Business Today's 'Best Companies to Work For', Google has been No. 1 for many years. Its aura hasn't faded because it has been consistent in its message of big thinking, empowerment, and mission: 'Internet for every Indian'. There are 400 million Indians online; 900 million more to go. That is a purpose that binds as well as drives every employee. In 2017, it was about making mobile devices more affordable. Google designed an operating system, Android Oreo, that will make high quality phones cheaper soon. The firm is now focussed on making the Android keyboard and voice recognition work in regional languages. India may soon be the world's first voice-driven Internet.