'Innovation at 3M Corporation Essay\r'

'3M was and quench is a worldwide leader in groundwork. After a rough jumping in 1902, over decades, 3M enjoyed national and global growth as well as a reputation for remaining a hothouse of innovation.\r\nIn the 1990’s, 3M was trying to drift away from the incrementalism and it sought to adjustment the conflate of spic-and-span overlaps to truly create something sensitive to the world, rather of line extensions, which typic eithery had provided devil out of ternary vernal-product sales dollars.\r\nBy 1996, the 3M Medical-Surgical Markets instalment, a world leader in surgical drapes market, had g one almost a decade with alone one prospered product. At this point, elder Product medical specialist Rita Shor has been charged with the mandate of developing a find product in spite of appearance living line of products system. She was selected non only because her higher rank just now likewise because she was thought of as macrocosm creative and consens us builder.\r\nRita and the Medical-Surgical Market Division experiences with the traditional market look were disappointing. tralatitious tools birthed an abundance of data entirely contained teensy-weensy useful information for conceptualizing a break through product as the rate of flow strategy of the order was desperate to find. In an in house lecture, Rita had heard close to a new methodological analysis for product culture c tot anyyed â€Å"Lead user research.” In an in house lecture, Rita had heard about a new methodology for product cultivation called â€Å"Lead User Research.” The premise of this newfangled methodology was that certain consumers experience inescapably ahead of other(a) consumers and some of the antecedent would seek to innovate on their own. Shor firm to try since this might provide the primaeval to the breakthrough product.\r\nThe Medical-Surgical Division focused for the most part on reducing infections from skin throu gh surgical drapes and surgical prepping. The group obdurate to center their interest in a new product that should reduce infections, align to the body, prove to a greater extent effective than current products and be easy to apply and remove.\r\nShor and her consultants descend the â€Å"Lead User Research” methodology stage by stage. The commencement ceremony cardinal stages run as planned. However, the diversity in lead users and fields of expertise was adding complexness to the terce and twenty-five percent part phase. A longsighted the way, later on a permute of the division manager, Shor experienced a big barrier of question from her superiors. They had reduction on the group up and lite opposition. The third stage took six months instead of six weeks. Shor and her team had to sell the program pop offing from scratch, reminding the new managers the expected benefits and the rare problems.\r\nFinally, after one division and with the religious service of a dozen of lead users assemble from backgrounds as diverse as cosmetics to surgery, the team ended up with three ripe product passports. Two of them represented a straightforward linear extension of 3M product lines. One more, the team though, might exposed the door to new business opportunities. However, the team had a fourth recommendation but it divided the team.\r\nThe fourth idea would change the business unit strategy, in position could mean to associate and combine applied science from more than one core area of the company.\r\nShor should decide if take the four recommendations to the ranking(prenominal) management and revolutionize the company or just play safe and go doing business as always.\r\nCase analysis\r\nThere is no doubt of the uprightness of 3M’s products. It is also known per decades that the company is a leader in innovation. However, this b out of dateness represents the need for change in a moment where innovation was just predictable a nd the â€Å"new products” were the result of the same old ideas.\r\nIt is understandable, up to a certain point, the direct of comfort in employees and management had at heart the company. When the company has a steady income and year after year and the results show growth, nice but growth, it is hard to sell a change in the disposal. Rita Shor’s dilemma about presenting or non the fourth recommendation was non just about numbers. It was about business strategy, changes in the organization and heathenish change management. After all, depending on how that kind of changes are executeed, the numbers could go either direction, faster and bigger by itself. Eventually, 3M should realize that the times where the innovation called for â€Å"it’s better to seek forgiveness than require for permission” were behind. That there was no more â€Å"get-out-of-the-way” attitude. To put it in perspective, the employees’ comfort zone made the com pany transform itself in a short-term thought, incapable of being ascendent anymore.\r\nIn addition to the cultural aspect of the organization, another reason for the unquestionable situation was the product developing sue and the product teams that perform it. Those teams were composed chiefly of technical individuals with zero room for an experiential behavior, making the company a confidential environment. The proportions of logic and predictability in contrast with creativity and â€Å"free” innovation were overwhelming.\r\nIn summary, Rita Shor’s decision was not an easy one. She neer imagined how far her assignment was going to go. The rightfulness was that it went beyond the point of just determination a breakthrough product. The results of applying the â€Å"Lead User Research” methodolog y, opened bigger doors to radical change inside the company. That is what the case is all about.\r\nAlternatives\r\nRita Shor had two clear alternatives. On the one hand, she could deliver to senior management only the three products they clearly defined. On the contrary, she could face the opposition of some of her own team members and introduce to 3M the â€Å"Lead User Research” methodology. Explaining the findings and telling the company that the legendary innovation serve well needed a refresh.\r\nThe first option would help the team to present a safe and conservative idea, align with the 3M traditional methods. In fact, two of the three products were a linear progression of other products, which would please the â€Å"old” school of the management. Likewise, the third product accomplished the goal of the new company strategy. It was the breakthrough product that the Senior worry charged Rita to find. This option was the surmount in terms of having everybody happy within the team and everybody in th e organization.\r\nThe second option was a bigger risk. It was a personal risk for Rita and her results to the com pany. It was also a business risk for the wellness Care Unit and the Medical -Surgical Division. The recommendation of evolution or revolution was a big challenge for all the levels of the organization. It would start with the Health Care Unit’s business strategy statement but it would not stop there. The new recommendation would imply to collaborate with other units. It would agent probably to create and destroy business units along the company. Not to mention that the recommendation would touch the core of the innovation principles in 3M.\r\nHowever, all those risks could be the answer that 3M was gauge to find. The 30% goal of sales from products that did not exist four years primarily was not an easy target. The answer could be the change in the innovation process as a whole and not just one product at a time.\r\nRecommendations\r\nDefinitely, the recommendation is to deliver the fourth idea to the Senior Management team. However, in order to assure the success of the new â€Å"Lead Users Research” methodology, it must be clear that 3M needs to commit all levels of the organization to the changes that â€Å"reinventing” themselves bequeath gravel.\r\nChange Management is a painful process. Even though it could involve complex activities, changes in organizational structure, downsizing and cultural mentality change, all will benefit the company, in the long run. The new initiative will bring back the bright ideas 3M was known for and it will restore the respect that other businesses in the industry always have had for them.\r\nIt is historic though, be aware of the long process, the challenges that implement new methodologies and new ways of thinking implies. In 1995, John Kotter published research that revealed only 30 percent of change programs are successful1. There are not too many changes since then. In fact, fig.1 shows how 9% completely failed, 49% failed and just 21% had a complete and successful effectuation of changes in the organizations 2.\r\n'