3m Case Study

1.) There are many examples of successful companies. To what extent is 3M justifiably highlighted as the 'innovating machine'?

3M's performance has been highlighted as a successful company throughout their culture on a day-to-day emphasis. Their activities and principles identify their core goal and establish it throughout. 3M encourages their employees to work on projects chosen to them to allow them 15% of their time to do so which encourages innovation to their staff. They also mentioned in the case study that the 3M management team has been successful because they are able to combine different techniques in which the company has also influence for them to do and inspire creativity. 3M is such a innovative company because they also provide their employees with the resources needed to be innovative and creative adding an allowance of $75,000 to develop their ideas into actual potential product possibilities.

2.) In the 3M case study, what is meant by the statement: 'the message is more important than the figures'?.

I would have to say that the statement "the message is more than the figures' would have to mean that your allowed a 15% of a work week to dedicated to this project, which can be changed at anything if need be. The vice president of 3M (Coyne, 1996) stated that his message is that the real truth of the matter is that sometimes projects will require more or less than the 15% given to them but what really matters is that they are dedicated, believe in what they are doing, and that the final product is well worth the amount they spend (or not spend) on it. It's not about meeting the 15% rule here but what the product is worth in the end.

3.) Discuss the merits and problems with the so-called '15 per cent rule'. Consider cost implications and a busy environment with deadlines to meet. To what extent is this realistic or mere rhetoric?

The merits of the 15% rule is that the employees are given time to work on their projects and creative ides that are important to them and can be beneficial to the company during the 15% individual work week time. It allows employees to come together and brainstorm and come up with a highly effective product for the company within this dedicated time frame. 15% work time is allocated to each employee and is costly to the company if not used correctly for such projects when deadlines need to be meet. I would have to say it's mere rhetoric than realistic only because in order for this to really work in the company may need more manpower to put out these ideas and products with the 15% work week time frame. Thant's my opinion

4.) Encouraging product and brand managers to achieve 25 per cent of sales