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June/July 2011
BEST DIVERSITY COMPANIES
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Diversity In Action
3M creates ingenious products with the
power of collaboration
The company hires all levels of technical employees, including PhDs. Disciplines
range from ChE and biomed to CS and SAP on the IT side
'3M captures the spark of new ideas and transforms
them into thousands of ingenious products," says chief
diversity officer Clydie Douglass. The company's presence
in more than sixty-five countries around the world makes
diversity and inclusion a business imperative, she notes.
More than 7,000 researchers in 3M businesses share
knowledge across forty-five technologies and multiple
business units.
"Our culture of creative collaboration across the globe
inspires a never-ending stream of powerful technologies
that make life better," says Douglass.
To keep that collaboration and creative thinking going
strong, the company hires all levels of technical
employees, including many PhDs. The disciplines span a
range from chemical and biomedical engineering to chemistry and materials science. Information
technology hires individuals with CS, MIS and SAP-related experience.
Douglass expects hiring to be active for the next few years. Like many companies, 3M recognizes
the potential for members of the baby boomer generation to begin retiring fairly soon, so
succession planning is important. "We have a human capital plan with a five-year strategy that
indicates we will continue to have opportunities for technical employees," Douglass explains.
3M supports diversity in many ways, through various processes and programs. From community
giving to hiring programs and retention strategies, the company embeds diversity principles
throughout all its processes, Douglass says.
The company taps a diverse pool of candidates with a strong presence at several HBCUs,
Douglass notes. Schools of choice for recruiting are Georgia Tech, Tuskegee, Prairie View A&M,
North Carolina A&T and Florida A&M. 3M also engages national diversity organizations like AISES,
NACME, NSBE, SHPE, GEM, SWE and the Minnesota Business Leadership Network (BLN) for people
with disabilities. The company is represented on their boards and provides funding through 3M's
charitable foundation.
Funding support is also provided to the Black Engineer of the Year Awards, the American Chemical
Society, NOBCChE, the National Hispanic MBAs and the National Black MBAs organizations. 3M
participates in the organizations' events as well.
The company has active STEM outreach programs for students in science, math and engineering,
and local mentoring programs in which 3M employees participate enthusiastically, Douglass says.
Technical employees may judge science competitions, or do e-mentoring and face-to-face
mentoring of first-generation immigrant students from middle school to college level. They may
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also volunteer as 3M Science Wizards who visit classrooms for demos and hands-on experiments
designed to get students interested in science and technology.
Right now Douglass is working to rebuild key strategies related to diversity and inclusion. A newly
formed diversity steering team is made up of executive and senior VPs and sponsored by the CEO.
The company has a human resources advisory committee on diversity that includes Douglass and
3M's diversity and college recruiting leaders, as well as the chair of each 3M employee resource
group (ERG) and diversity council. The company has nine ERGs and nine diversity councils as well
as several business diversity steering teams.
ERGs include programs for leadership development, networking and community outreach, as well
as projects to support business growth. The China Club, for example, works with members of the
China business support team to put together programs to drive growth in the China region.
Cultural understanding and how to do business in China are clearly popular topics: more than
1,000 3M employees attended or watched on line when the managing director of 3M China spoke
recently on the subject.
Each ERG is currently engaged in a strategy mapping process to provide insights and solutions to
real business issues. For instance, the Women's Leadership Network recently partnered with one
3M business to identify product characteristics that would appeal to a female consumer at various
life stages. "This type of project helps members of the ERGs develop skills in leadership and
project planning, and general business acumen. And they have a direct impact on business
strategy, including product development and marketing," Douglass says.
New hires, including relocated employees, co-ops and interns, participate in mentoring programs
and social events sponsored by the various ERGs. Several mentoring programs are available.
3M has many other programs that support diversity and inclusion, including some that focus on
healthy living and work-life balance. The company has policies for job sharing, flexible work
arrangements and remote work, Douglass says. "The decision depends on the business
requirements and each organization takes a look at that."
The company offers domestic partner benefits and programs for emergency childcare, elderly
parent care and other at-home issues. There's an onsite medical clinic at St. Paul HQ and many
field locations have contract medical and employee assistance providers.
3M recognizes that engaging its diverse workforce is key to the continued growth of the company.
"Being part of a company with employees in more than sixty-five countries gives diversity a
unique spin at 3M. We have a lot of diversity in our markets, our technologies, and especially in
our employees," Douglass concludes.
D/C
www.3M.com
Headquarters: St. Paul, MN
Employees: 80,000
Revenues: $26.7 billion in 2010
Business: Science-based products in
markets including
consumer; healthcare;
industrial and
transportation; electronics;
safety and security; display
and graphics
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3. Page 3 of 33M creates ingenious products with the power of collaboration
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