<story><title>NPR tried Google&apos;s 20%-time with their developers</title><url>http://www.niemanlab.org/2011/08/npr-tries-something-new-a-day-to-let-managers-step-away-and-developers-play/</url><text></text></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>wccrawford</author><text>&quot;Lumbard said the managers had toyed with the idea of adopting Google’s 20 percent time, but they concluded it wouldn’t work for NPR. Google has thousands of employees and extraordinarily deep pockets, which mean it can afford to let employees take a day every week for side projects. Plus, Lumbard says, 20-percent time puts the emphasis on individuality, whereas NPR’s approach values teamwork.&quot;&lt;p&gt;I often hear the &apos;Google is bigger, so they can afford it&apos; argument...  Bigger means they have MORE PEOPLE.  That means it costs more.&lt;p&gt;I can understand a startup saying they can&apos;t do it, but an established company with profits?  They could, if they wanted to.  (Not that it would necessarily make sense, mind you.  It depends on the industry.)&lt;p&gt;And the teamwork thing is nonsense, too.  Googlers can work on other peoples&apos; 20% projects in their 20% time.  So it encourages teamwork as well.  (And I&apos;d likely be one of those, as I have few good ideas, but enjoy helping others flesh theirs out.)</text></comment>
<story><title>NPR tried Google&apos;s 20%-time with their developers</title><url>http://www.niemanlab.org/2011/08/npr-tries-something-new-a-day-to-let-managers-step-away-and-developers-play/</url><text></text></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>molecule</author><text>Not really &quot;tries,&quot; per submission headline, but rather &quot;tried, one day.&quot;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Lumbard said the managers had toyed with the idea of adopting Google’s 20 percent time, but they concluded it wouldn’t work for NPR. Google has thousands of employees and extraordinarily deep pockets, which mean it can afford to let employees take a day every week for side projects. Plus, Lumbard says, 20-percent time puts the emphasis on individuality, whereas NPR’s approach values teamwork.&quot;</text></comment>