Knowledge Management Systems in Google, Inc.

            Knowledge Management Systems or KM Systems are integral in businesses that have the need for a program to accurately organize and store information for the company. According to Princeton University, “the idea of a KM system is to enable employees to have ready access to the organization’s documented base of facts, sources of information, and solutions” [1]. KM Systems are therefore extremely effective at organizing information for the company and allowing the company to be constantly ‘learning’ and therefore growing. A growing company is host to a wealth of knowledge that allows for the constant advancement and development of the company. One of the best examples of a company that uses a KM System is Google, Inc.

            Google, Inc. prides itself on being “the perfect search engine” [2]. In essence, Google, Inc. has built its company based on their service as a KM System. Google is the general public’s Knowledge Management System with their goal being “to make it as easy as possible for you to find the information you need and get the things you need to do done” [2]. While Google, Inc. is the world’s KMS, Google uses their own KM System in order to bring this service to the public. Google’s success lies in their ability to research and organize information and have it conveniently located when searched by a user. Google has far surpassed other search engines because of their accessibility and wealth of knowledge, a far more important asset. An important use of a KM System within the Google Corporation is the “use of KM to find out about the latest trends and needs of the consumer and to guide their employees in the correct direction of achieving their goals” [3]. Research is therefore an important component to the KM System established by Google in determining what the company will need to find information about. What are people searching for? What do people want to know? A KMS will effectively assess these questions and arrive at answers by which Google employees will look into further.

            Another important aspect of Google’s success as a brand is their quick, efficient results. These results are achieved through creative teams of nine people, governed by a one leader. [3] These groups of small numbers are driven by the desire to develop teams that are the most productive in research. These teams research, filter and organize information that can be searched with Google.com. This strategy works because each team is small and focused, and the team members have been known to bond and create higher levels of trust and collaboration [3].

            While Google, Inc. is a leading Search Engine on the internet, it has made its success from being a KM System for the world. Yet their success lies in their internal KMS which is strongest in their research and management department. An organized system of Knowledge allows for a better approach to deciding what to put onto the Google search engine, in terms of researchers and content. Without a KMS in place, Google would surely fall behind leading competitors, such as Yahoo or Bing, due to consumer dissatisfaction with quick, accurate results.

[1] http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Knowledge_management_system.html

[2] http://www.google.com/about/company/products/

[3] http://www.scribd.com/doc/60203118/The-Role-of-Knowledge-Management-in-Google-Inc