As a company, Google is committed to the idea of consensus. Major decisions typically made by one or two people at most companies are often made by groups of people at Google. If you are a leader at this global technology company, you don’t have the same measure of authority and decision-making power as leaders at other companies may have.
Hiring, for example, is done by committee. After an employee is interviewed — often by those they would potentially be working with —an independent hiring committee made up of Google employees at various levels of the company review that candidate’s application packet, which includes interview feedback and scores, his or her resume, references, and any work samples that were submitted.
If the committee recommends hiring that person, the panel’s feedback is added to the candidate packet and only then is the employee’s information sent on to a senior leader for review.
A similar process is put in place for promotions For some departments, such as engineering, employees may simply say they feel as though they are ready for a higher-level position and then put an application packet together — no manager approval required. The packet goes on to … you guessed it —a committee or committees to evaluate the employee’s request for a promotion. Promotion decisions are reviewed by senior leaders.
While this may seem like a strange way of doing things, operating in this way is designed to ensure objectivity in hiring and promotions and more fairness across the board. While a consensus approach isn’t for all companies, incorporating elements of the consensus approach in your company could make hiring and promotion decisions at your company more fair.