The flapping of a butterfly's wings in the Amazon rainforest of South America can cause a tornado in Texas, USA, two weeks later. On August 10, 2011, a ten-person team won the top prize at Baidu for the customer service system, an idea conceived by founder Robin Li a year earlier. In the following days, China's internet industry and even the entire business community experienced a storm triggered by the butterfly effect of Li's million-yuan bonus.
The most important thing is appreciation
At 6 PM, the Baidu building was crowded with people. Xu Yongming was among them, excited yet nervous. He was a member of one of the eight teams shortlisted for the top Baidu award. Half an hour later, Robin Li announced the winner of the highest award in the history of China's internet - a million US dollars, including an employee who had only been at Baidu for a year. Professor Zhang Ming from Peking University's Computer Science department quickly identified his student in the winning photo and enthusiastically forwarded it: "Congratulations to Chen Jiong! A graduate of Peking University's Network Institute in 2008!"
Xu Yongming's team ultimately missed out on the grand prize. Although the team members were inevitably disappointed, they wrote on Weibo: "This is one of the happiest days in my eight years at Baidu. Although we didn't win the grand prize, it signifies the recognition of the hard work of my teammates. This sense of achievement and being acknowledged makes me happy and excited."
That night, a new joke spread through Zhongguancun: It seems that the song all internet company employees wanted to sing today is: "Unfortunately, It Wasn't Me." Chen Jiong and his team partners spent the night singing at a KTV, despite having to attend a sharing session the next day and fulfilling their promise of 100 Haagen-Dazs ice creams!
A management consultant said that for the winners, happiness came too intensely. And for a company of over 13,000 people, still being able to value small teams and appreciate each individual is precisely what Robin Li demands from Baidu.
The spirit of small teams in the internet era
Since two young men started HP in their backyard garage in 1934, Silicon Valley entrepreneurship has become synonymous with small teams and dreams. Many "elders" in the internet industry will not forget the ideals and passion stored in China's internet a decade ago. Ten years later, when Robin Li revisited the topic of small teams, it evoked the idealistic era in the minds of those who lived through it. "The world's best internet companies were born from small teams. An excellent small team possesses entrepreneurial passion, an innovative spirit, and the attitude to take things to the extreme, often making contributions far beyond expectations and allowing talented individuals to stand out."
Outstanding small teams have a certain energy, a cohesive centripetal force. This is the foundation of start-up stage companies. When a company grows to a certain size, whether it can see the value of small teams and provide opportunities and support depends on the leader's deep understanding of the internet and its spirit. An Alibaba employee's sentiment was repeatedly quoted online: "It is necessary for companies to form mechanisms that break organizational structures and existing hierarchies, encouraging bottom-up innovation."
Famous industry analyst Liu Xingliang commented that evening: "Baidu is striving to create a paradise for internet professionals' dreams." A decade after becoming a giant, Robin Li still behaves like an entrepreneur.
World-class company management
When Nokia Information Director Feng Guangshun first heard the news, his first reaction was "Impressive!"
In his view, the positive motivation this move provides to all employees far exceeds the value of the one million yuan. Because tech companies ultimately compete on talent. For this, self-deprecatingly "management-illiterate" Robin Li often takes some "extraordinary" big actions, as IBM China's Senior Market Manager Grace said: "Baidu has a force that continuously encourages young people to innovate and blossom."
Chinese companies are maturing, thinking about "How far are we from world-class enterprises?" while also constantly exploring more suitable international management paths for themselves. In the management reflection wave sparked by the million-dollar prize, perhaps there should be more emphasis on studying Li Yanhong-style management.
Customer Service 360 is a platform that provides online services for businesses, helping with various business applications on the internet and overall enhancing your company's competitiveness.