3m Encourages Innovation

1. How did 3M encourage Innovation?

3M allows employees to spend 15% of their time on projects of their choosing, giving them permission to develop ideas or technologies that may be outside of their regular work focus. Such policies encourage curiosity and increase the odds of collaboration beyond their knowledge base, to a place where they need the advice and insight of others. 

The company creates innovation funds (in-house grants) to explore and develop innovative ideas core-related projects. 3M employees can apply for funding of innovation projects that don't fit neatly into existing departments. 

3M reward employees for developing an innovative technology, idea and process by giving out awards for innovation. The company will hold internal showcases for products and ideas to help encourage interdepartmental cross-pollination of discoveries. 3M uses “dual ladder” approach to retain senior employees by offering careers opportunities to advance.

3M build their own web-based social networks that help employees with a problem find those with an answer. 3M's Tech Forum is an employee-run group that organizes speaker events to stimulate thinking where scientists from different labs or divisions can connect in person. 

2. How did 3M identified market needs? What was the problem in doing that?

3M identifies market needs by collecting data from sales representatives who are in daily contact with physicians or registered nurses. The problem with this approach was information gathered by the market research was not necessarily proprietary.

3M create focus groups that would gather the professionals biannually from all over the world in a room to obtained reactions to proposed products. Unfortunately, the focus group was not able to provide clues about their own needs in the future as they are blinded by their own needs.

3M also conducts visits for 3M scientist and technologist to observe people at work with the intent to identify unforeseen needs. 3M also create...