Behavior and Communication of 3m

Behavior and Communication of 3M

The organization's philosophy is simply to divide and grow. This philosophy was put into place 1922 as divisions within the organization increased in size and the company showed signs of slowdown in innovation. There was not a lot of time being devoted to new product development.

The mission of 3M is to, "Continuously deliver practical and ingenious solutions to everyday problems around the world". Its vision, "3M Technology Advancing Every Company, 3M Products Enhancing Every Home, 3M Innovation Improving Every Life" (3M, 2013)

The values statements of 3M are many, but are an integral part of what 3M promotes and stands for. Once a year 3M holds a Tech forum event that allows all of its members from the technical community to gather and share ideas. The organization's belief is what the company stands for is just as important as what they sell. 3M operates its day to day business and every division with uncompromising honesty, integrity, trust and reputation.

The organizational culture of 3M is the desire to foster innovation. With that comes the responsibility of recruiting and retaining talent. 3M management found a way to hire the right kinds of people; they generated a recruiting brochure to accentuate the traits they look for in a prospective employee. With this brochure, it aided recruiters in searching for candidates and it also gave current employees guidance for advancement within the company. In addition to providing an environment that stimulated innovation the upper management took steps to encourage knowledge sharing among its employees. The company has flourished because the management encourages their employees to speak out. The types of communication within the company include a website that is devoted to every aspect of what this company stands for, what they expect from their employees, policies and employee's rights and a copy of the employee's manual that is provided to them during new hire orientation.

The company's external communication is vast. 3M communicates with the outside world by giving. They contribute to the communities in which they live and work. They do this by giving back. They match giving gifts to non-profit and educational organizations, Hunger Relief, Disaster Relief, Environmental resources, programs for retirees as well as volunteer work.

With management that encourages their employees to speak out for both right and wrong, giving their ideas knowing they are being heard and have no fear of retaliation when they make a stand when policies are being broken, it comes as no surprise that this company's vision and values are strong both internally and externally.