Marissa Mayer at Google

13 Pages Posted: 30 May 2017

See all articles by Melissa C. Thomas-Hunt

Melissa C. Thomas-Hunt

University of Virginia - Darden School of Business

Meredith Gethin-Jones

The Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University

Susan Fleming

Cornell SC Johnson College of Business - The Hotel School

Date Written: August 2, 2012

Abstract

Marissa Mayer has been asked to think about factors that were impacting Google's ability to innovate and adjust its strategy so that the organization could remain one of the world's foremost leaders in technology. In an industry (and at a company) that was changing and growing exponentially, it would be difficult to pinpoint specific variables and trends. But Mayer knew that one element crucial to Google's ongoing success would be its ability to recruit the best talent available and foster an environment that would encourage that talent to generate the best ideas. As Mayer contemplated how to ensure this, she considered that women currently represented only a small fraction of Google's engineers, suggesting a missed opportunity.

Excerpt

UVA-OB-1028

Aug. 2, 2012

MARISSA MAYER AT GOOGLE

In 2011, Marissa Mayer (pronounced My-er) sat in her rectangular glass office across from the engineering snack area and thought about what she would recommend to continue to accelerate growth to cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin at their next big meeting. The two men had asked her and other leaders at Google to think about factors that were impacting the company's ability to innovate and adjust their strategy so that the organization could remain one of the world's foremost leaders in technology. In an industry (and at a company) that was changing and growing exponentially, it would be difficult to pinpoint specific variables and trends. But Mayer knew that one element crucial to Google's ongoing success would be its ability to recruit the best talent available and foster an environment that would encourage that talent to generate the best ideas.

Given its legendary reputation, Google was often able to recruit the best of the best; sustaining this advantage would be critical to its ongoing success. As Mayer contemplated how to ensure this, she considered that women currently represented only a small fraction of Google's engineers, suggesting a missed opportunity. Was the problem that simply too few women were going into technology-related fields such as computer science (where only 12% of graduates each year were women)? If so, perhaps Google needed to focus its efforts on getting more young girls interested in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. Compared to a lot of disciplines, industries, and professions, Mayer thought the technology industry presented tremendous opportunity for women because it moved so quickly and because it was such a young science. It didn't have the same history or legacy that older industries had, and therefore lacked the “old boys club” mentality.

In Mayer's view, technology was a place where people had the opportunity to create something new, and where the playing field appeared to be flat for men and women alike. But perhaps she was missing something. Maybe there were subtle factors that were keeping women out of technology (and Google's engineering department). If so, what were these factors? And how could they be addressed in an equity-oriented organization such as Google where providing special standards and treatment for women would be as offensive as supporting a culture that subtly advantaged men? She thought about these questions in the context of the next strategic planning meeting, and what she would recommend to Google's leadership team.

. . .

Keywords: innovation strategy, gender equity

Suggested Citation

Thomas-Hunt, Melissa C. and Gethin-Jones, Meredith and Fleming, Susan, Marissa Mayer at Google (August 2, 2012). Darden Case No. UVA-OB-1028, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2974817 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2974817

Melissa C. Thomas-Hunt (Contact Author)

University of Virginia - Darden School of Business ( email )

P.O. Box 6550
Charlottesville, VA 22906-6550
United States

Meredith Gethin-Jones

The Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University ( email )

Ithaca, NY 14853
United States

Susan Fleming

Cornell SC Johnson College of Business - The Hotel School ( email )

Ithaca, NY 14850
United States

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