Saudi Practices in Google

Saudi Arabia is characterized by noble cultural practices stemming from authentic Arab customs and solid Islamic values ​​that make its adopters carry great honor such as generosity, courage, chivalry, and gallantry, or even kinship and social cohesion at the family or tribe level. In this article, we review the institutional practices and values ​​carried out by Google similar to the values ​​and customs that distinguish Saudis, which make them superior to other peoples.

Generosity is an authentic Saudi trait that has different forms, whether material or moral, and it is what the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is most famous for. Google adopts generosity to care for its employees, as it pays more than 250 million riyals annually for generosity initiatives like:

1. All-you-can-eat gourmet food initiative: Google is known for providing free gourmet food, healthy snacks, and drinks to its employees across its campuses. This not only contributes to the well-being of its employees but also fosters a sense of care and generosity.

2. Matching Gifts Initiative: At the level of charitable work, Google doubles the amount of any donation made by an employee up to $10,000 per year to encourage its employees to donate. Also, for every hour that an employee volunteers for a charitable organization, Google pays a sum of money to the organization.

3. Pro Bono Work Initiative: Google encourages its employees to use their skills and knowledge to help nonprofits and emerging entrepreneurs through volunteer work. Employees can contribute their expertise in areas such as engineering, product management, marketing, and other specialties.

Vitality or Chivalry is the psychological and physical strength that drives a person to act with mercy and compassion towards others. It is an authentic Saudi trait that Saudis adopt in their daily lives. Google offers an Employee Assistance Program to provide immediate help for financial and personal issues, such as health crises, legal assistance, and family emergencies. Employees have access to confidential counseling and support services whenever they need it, such as:

1. Urgent Financial Assistance: Employees have access to financial and legal assistance services through the Employee Assistance Program. This includes help with debt management and dealing with legal issues such as estate planning or handling disputes. These services can be invaluable in helping employees deal with complex personal issues that may impact their careers.

2. Family Crisis Support: For employees facing urgent personal crises, such as family emergencies or health issues, the Employee Assistance Program provides immediate support. Employees can receive crisis counselling and guidance on how to manage difficult life events. This includes referrals to outside professionals if needed.

Shura is a concept embraced by The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia leadership and people, which encourages leaders and decision-makers to consult with others, seek advice, and involve stakeholders before making decisions. Google adopts some practices derived from this term, such as:

1. Consultative Leadership Style: Consultative leadership is a management style used extensively at Google where leaders involve team members in decision-making processes and encourage input and feedback before final decisions are made. Google is known for its open and inclusive culture that encourages consultative leadership. Team leaders often solicit input from employees at all levels, especially during product development or strategic decision-making.

2. Google OKRs Performance System: Through Google's Objectives and Key Results framework, employees have a say in setting goals and strategies that align with the company's mission. This framework was introduced at Google by investor John Doerr, who has helped drive the company's growth, innovation, and focus.

3. TGIF Initiative: Google has an initiative called "TGIF" (Thanks Google, Its Friday) where a number of employees are invited every Friday to a meeting with the company's leadership to take their suggestions, views and questions with complete transparency and honesty. It is a prominent example of how to apply consultative leadership.

Family, clan or tribe is an important concept in the formation of Saudi society, where cooperation and cohesion take place between members of the tribe to achieve a specific benefit. Global companies such as Google adopt the Clan Culture, which works to enhance a cooperative atmosphere between a group of employees or teams that share a common purpose, function or interest within the company.

1. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are volunteer groups led by employees, aiming to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Google embraces these groups and currently has groups such as Google Women Engineers or Google Black Googlers Network.

2. Googler-to-Googler is a knowledge-sharing and learning program. G2G (employee-to-employee) can be considered part of Google’s tribe culture. Employees, or “tribe members,” teach and mentor each other, sharing skills and experiences to support the collective growth of the group. This peer-to-peer learning fosters a sense of collaboration and collective growth.

Companies and government agencies in Saudi Arabia are the first to implement such practices in their headquarters. Here are some suggestions for programs and initiatives that stem from Saudi culture and can be implemented:

1. The Generosity is Our Nature initiative aims to build a culture of generosity in companies and government agencies by providing a mix of values ​​and practices that promote giving and cooperation between individuals. Here are some steps that can be followed to build this culture:

• Generosity should be a core value in the values ​​of companies and organizations, and this value can be achieved by integrating it into the performance management system, for example.

• Allocating annual awards to people who show generosity in their dealings with others, which contributes to appreciating, rewarding and encouraging generous efforts.

• Creating a special internal platform where all employees display the services and experiences they can provide to their colleagues and book appointments with them through this platform.

• Providing opportunities for employees to participate in volunteer work and charitable activities in the name of the organization, where working days are allocated to participate in projects that serve the community.

• Providing seminars, training programs or short courses for self-learning E-Learning that focus on the importance of generosity and how to develop it in the work environment.

2. Saudi Consultative Leadership Program aims to build a learning journey that helps leaders in companies and government agencies develop the skills and mindsets required for consultative leadership. The program focuses on improving communication, decision-making, collaboration and team building skills. Below is a suggested step-by-step development journey:

• Leadership Styles Introduction Workshop (1 day)

• Participants assess their leadership style using leadership assessment tools.

• Consultative Leadership Training Course (2 days)

• Create a discussion group to share decision-making experiences (successful or unsuccessful).

• Host a leader from a company that practices consultative leadership to discuss how this style is applied and the challenges they have faced.

• Active Listening and Empathy Workshop (1 day)

• Effective Communication Training Course (2 days)

• Collaborative Decision-Making Workshop (1 day)

• Conflict Resolution & Negotiation Training Course (2 days)

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