3M has built ambidexterity into the organization through its structure and processes that support innovation. The structure includes small business units and divisions to avoid centralization and bureaucracy. Processes that facilitate innovation include allowing employees to spend 15% of their time on personal projects and providing initial funding for projects. People are supported through hiring those with unconventional thinking, tolerance for new ideas, and rewarding both individuals and teams for successful innovations. Challenges 3M India may face in entrenching this culture include overcoming the fear of failure in Indian culture and ensuring employees make the most of the opportunities provided, such as time for personal projects.

1. Minnesota Mining and
Manufacturing Company
CASE ANALYSIS –
3M INDIA: IN INDIA FOR
INDIA
Aditya Sharma(2022PGDM079)
Anant Jain
Akash Dalmia
Md Anas
Pradunya Das
Subham Verma
Amarnath Yelukuri

2. How has 3M built ambidexterity into the organization? How do the various elements of
the system support innovation at 3M?
STRUCTURE THAT SUPPORTS INNOVATION:
•Small size of each business or administrative unit
• Small divisions in order to avoid centralization and bureaucracy as it may curtail innovation
• 7 business divisions each with its own research and development laboratories
• Defining organizational roles to support innovation
• Limited bureaucracy – idea generator had support of an executive champion to protect and nurture the new ideas
PROCESSES:
•Creating organizational processes that facilitates innovation
•Employees allowed to spend 15% of their work week for their own projects
•Short and simple initial proposal
•Genesis grants of US $50000 provided to carry projects past initial stage
REWARDS
•Innovators who made significant scientific and technical contributions wereinducted into Carlton Society
•Strong team efforts rewarded – inclusion in Company’s Golden Step AwardProgram
•Individual who made a successful product can be the CEO when the unitbecomes an independent unit.
People:
•Retain and hire people who think differently
•Wide tolerance towards unconventional thinking
•Hire and breed loyal employees

3. •Customer-centric company
•Flexibility to encourage employees to explore and produce new
ideas
•Minimum bureaucracy to facilitate innovation
•Diversified worldwide workforce – employees with sound scientific and technical knowledge
•Promotes entrepreneurial work culture
What lessons can other organization learn in becoming more
innovative from 3M?

4. What are the challenges that 3M India has faced or is likely to face in
entrenching the 3M innovation culture in India? How should it
address them?
Some of the challenges 3M might face :
•Whether the scientists will be inventive if the 15% rule is followed i.e. if they have 15% of time to
themselves
•Whether the scientists are ready to exploit the intrapreneurial opportunities provided to them at 3M
•Whether they’ll prefer from going to a managerial level from technical level
•Whether employees will be able to overcome the fear of failure
•will the employees take initiative irrespective of position or rank?
Some way outs:
•Arranging webinars and guiding people to overcome the Indian mentality of ‘fear of failure’
•To make the most out of the 15% time that scientists are given to engage with their own projects.
•Mentoring the staff to make the best use of the intrapreneurial opportunities provided at 3M

5. Thank You