Dr. Geoff Nicholson, father of 3M’s Post-It-Note Program, shared with some academics, entrepreneurs, and MNC managers on the key factors within 3M that make it a successful environment for innovation. This event was hosted by Singapore Management University.
There was lots more, but here are ten (10) gems from the talk to consider:
(1) Many companies face the problem of looking at the technology of the past to determine what the future will look like. 3M, having 55,000 products and innovators all around, are always looking at the technology of today for the possibilities of tomorrow.
(2) If the cost of innovation is not in your business plan, then you won’t be committed to it.
(3) Do you measure innovation within your company and does your research group have contact with the customers? At 3M, dialogue with the customers is essential.
(4) Do you tell the stories? Stories are very important in driving invention and innovation because we remember stories. And these stories do not have to be about how someone discovered or developed a new product, but even the way they boldly flouted management because they believed so strongly in what they were doing.
(5) Innovation is the transformation of knowledge into money. Research is the transformation of money into knowledge.
(6) Do you have a culture of innovation? i.e.- do you have an expectation that there will be new products or processes developed by the people within the company?
(7) It is best to locate your brains next to each other instead of the Japanese way which is to locate the research next to the production. Why? Doing it the Japanese way means your innovators will focus on fixing current problems and creating incremental innovations instead of looking ahead. They also won’t get the chance of learning from and sharing the breadth of knowledge and expertise that the company actually has. Communication and networking are essential to spark ideas.
(8) 15% Rule- this is something that Google borrowed from 3M, everyone can work on something they want for 15% of their time at work.
(9) Stop asking for permission (from management to do something), ask for forgiveness.
(10) Technical plans should be driven by business plans so that one can move from the chaotic environment of innovation where there is no schedule, no target, to one of discipline, with bottom lines and clear applications.
“The ordinary manager has a craving for order. The leader understands that innovation is almost always an untidy process.” – L.W. Lehr, former CEO of 3M, 1980
