Google is a business run by committee. At least it was. Now Larry Page replaces Eric Schmidt. The triumvirate of Page, Schmidt, and innovator Sergey Brin sometimes held the company back because they could not agree. Page has the opportunity to move Google forward if by no other means than offering a more comfortable (and understood) public presence.

QUESTIONS:

1. The article frequently mentions scaling in relation to Google’s success and as a factor most likely to determine whether Google will be supplanted by Facebook, Twitter, or some other company. What is scaling? How does it fit in the innovation process? Why do you think some companies are able to do it while others are not?
2. Review the characteristics of innovative organizations in your text. Based on your own knowledge of Google and what you can determine from the article, what are the key characteristics that make Google innovative?
3. What type of change leadership does the move to replace Eric Schmidt with Larry Page represent?

SOURCE: J. Jarvis, “Google Searches for New Challenges,” National Post (Retrievable online at http://www.financialpost.com/news/technology/Google+searches+challenges/4146720/story.html)