Michael Eagar | Internet Entrepreneur

I recently read a good article on Google and Nine Factors of Innovation from BusinessWeek June 19th 2006.  The article talked a lot about Innovation (about time, I predicted this would be the word of the year in the business world in a previous blog).  BusinessWeek devoted a lot of this issue to innovation (more to come I think).  Here are the nine factors:

1. Ideas come from everywhere - Google expects everyone to innovate, even the finance team
2. Share everything you can - At Google, every idea, project, deadline - It’s all accessible to everyone on the Intranet
3. Your brilliant, we’re hiring - Founders Larry Page and Sergio Brin approve hires.  They favor intelligence over experience
4. A license to pursue dreams - Employees at Google get a “free” day a week.  Half of new launches come from this “20%” time
5. Innovation - not instant perfection - Google launches early and often in small beta tests, before releasing new features widely
6. Don’t politic, use data - Mayer discourages the use of “I like” in meetings, pushing staffers to use metrics
7. Creativity loves restraint - Give people a vision, rules about how to get there, and deadlines
8. Worry about the usage and users, not money - Provide something simple to use and easy to love.  The money will follow
9. Don’t kill projects - morph them - There’s always a kernel of something good that can be salvaged

Way to go Google.  If you have successfully implemented some of these strategies at your company, What obstacles did you have to overcome?