B203A - 3M: Organizational Strategies & Innovation in Business

This essay examines the organizational strategies and practices employed by 3M to foster continuous innovation and achieve a competitive advantage. It highlights 3M's focus on ingenuity, enterprise, and practical customer-focused solutions. The essay discusses how 3M encourages critical thinking, proactive employee participation, and effective management of ideas to drive innovation. It emphasizes the importance of product innovation, prototyping, and commercialization in ensuring continuous growth. The analysis also touches upon 3M's approach to managing risks and adapting to change. Furthermore, the essay briefly contrasts 3M's innovation with architectural advancements in the United Arab Emirates, using the Dynamic Tower as an example of technological marvel. The essay concludes that innovation and technological advancement are crucial for organizational progress and stability.

Running head: INNOVATION
Innovation
Name of Student
Name of University
Author Note

1
INNOVATION
It has been widely acknowledged that innovation and technological advancement are
some of the important factors that help an organization to gain competitive advantage over
other organizations (Camisón and Villar-López 2014). The discussion hence will focus on the
organizational strategies and practices that 3M is employing to ensure constant growth.
The primary factors that are helping in the process of making 3M as an innovative
organization is the ingenuity and the enterprise. To elaborate it furthermore it can be said that
the organization is highly focused on the strategy of maintaining its strive towards being an
organization that is highly efficient in constant innovation. In addition to this 3M is an
organization that is aims at providing practical solutions to the consumers. In addition to this
it is to be mentioned that the process of product innovation and up gradation are the factors
that are taken care of by the organization. Moreover, it can be said that the organization is no
only aiming towards constant innovation, but it has also implemented effective strategies in
order to ensure a steady flow of ideas are being generated (Noruzy et al. 2013). As an
organization that is highly focused in generating as well as implementing new ideas, 3M
ensures that the leaders and the managers involved with the organization are capable of
critical thinking. In addition to this, the organization aims at encouraging the employees to be
more proactive and take part in the process of constant betterment that is happening in the
organizational front. Managing and developing ideas, commercializing those ideas and
accelerating the process of innovation are some of the major business functions that are
playing significant as well as influential roles in increasing the competitive edge of the
organization over others. It can be noticed that 3M believes product innovation,
manufacturing the prototypes are some of the important strategies that will help the
organization to ensure continuous growth (Qian, Cao and Takeuchi 2013). In addition to this

2
INNOVATION
it can be said that the company also points out the need of prioritization as well as constant
process of trials, failures along with ensuring strategies to combat with the financial as well
as organizational risks that the organization may face while introducing any new product to
the existing market or entering into a new market. In this regard it is also to be mentioned that
the organization has taken up strategies that ensure constant change and betterment of their
existing products along with bringing up innovations in launching new products. In this
regard, it is also to be mentioned that the organization is constantly emphasizing the needs of
rigorous commitment from the employees as well as the leaders and the managers of the
organization.
It can be noticed that in order to maintain the competency and competitive advantage
every organization needs to commercialize the ideas and innovations that they are aiming at
implementing. Moreover, it is also to be mentioned that by commercializing the products as
well as the ideas an organization is able to understand the demands of the product in the
targeted market. In addition to this, it can be said that by commercializing a product an
organization is able to introduce the product to the general market. Along with providing
competitive advantage the process of commercializing is also highly effective in
understanding the feedbacks of the customers (Laforet 2013). In this regard, it can be said
that the entire process and strategy of commercialization is highly dependent on the
marketing and advertising strategies as well. In the context of 3M it can be said that the
process of commercialization is not only helpful in the process of understanding the
feedbacks of the target market butt it is also helpful in the process of obtaining significant
economic growth. In addition to this it can be said that the process of commercialization is
also helpful in increasing scopes of future partnership amongst industries (Hervas-Oliver et
al. 2014). In the context of 3M it can be said that by commercializing their products the
organization will be able to prioritize their ideas along with generating prototypes. In addition

3
INNOVATION
to this, it can be said that commercializing of the ideas and products manufactured by the
organization, 3M will be able to increase and generate sales along with creating an identity
for the brand.
Along with 3M, it can be noticed that multiple organizations in the United Arab
Emirates are coming up with more innovations and technological betterment. In this regard it
is also to be mentioned that the United Arab Emirates is to be considered as one of the most
technologically advanced countries across the globe. In addition to this it is also to be noticed
that the country has grabbed global attention regarding the marvellous advancement that the
country has made in the field of architecture and construction works. One of the significant
innovation and architectural wonder is the Dynamic Tower (Soto-Acosta, Popa and Palacios-
Marqués 2016). The tower which has been named as the Da Vinci Tower, is a hotel,
residency as well office. The tower has been develop by Dynamic Architecture. It has drawn
global attention as a result of the architectural marvel that has been employed by the
company. The architecture as well as technology used in the process of constructing the
building are to be considered as innovative as each of the floor is capable of revolving
independently (Tang, Pee and Iijima 2013). As a result of the constant and 36 degree rotation
of the floors, the building is constantly changing its shape. This architecture and
technological wonder has been constructed keeping in mind the need of obtaining ample
amount of sunlight and better views from all of the floors and most importantly from all sides
of a floor. Hence, this construction made by Dynamic Architecture is to be regarded as one of
the major innovations that have been brought to the country.
To conclude, it can be said that innovation and technological advancement are some
of the most important factors that play vital role in ensuring the progress and stability of the
organization. By analysing the steps and strategies that have been implemented by 3M it can

4
INNOVATION
be said that the organization is not only ensuring constant technological advancement, but it
has also trial and failure method to upgrade the existing products.

5
INNOVATION
Reference
Camisón, C. and Villar-López, A., 2014. Organizational innovation as an enabler of
technological innovation capabilities and firm performance. Journal of business research,
67(1), pp.2891-2902.
Hervas-Oliver, J.L., Sempere-Ripoll, F. and Boronat-Moll, C., 2014. Process innovation
strategy in SMEs, organizational innovation and performance: a misleading debate?. Small
Business Economics, 43(4), pp.873-886.
Laforet, S., 2013. Organizational innovation outcomes in SMEs: Effects of age, size, and
sector. Journal of World business, 48(4), pp.490-502.
Noruzy, A., Dalfard, V.M., Azhdari, B., Nazari-Shirkouhi, S. and Rezazadeh, A., 2013.
Relations between transformational leadership, organizational learning, knowledge
management, organizational innovation, and organizational performance: an empirical
investigation of manufacturing firms. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing
Technology, 64(5-8), pp.1073-1085.
Qian, C., Cao, Q. and Takeuchi, R., 2013. Top management team functional diversity and
organizational innovation in China: The moderating effects of environment. Strategic
Management Journal, 34(1), pp.110-120.
Soto-Acosta, P., Popa, S. and Palacios-Marqués, D., 2016. E-business, organizational
innovation and firm performance in manufacturing SMEs: an empirical study in Spain.
Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 22(6), pp.885-904.

6
INNOVATION
Tang, J., Pee, L.G. and Iijima, J., 2013. Investigating the effects of business process
orientation on organizational innovation performance. Information & Management, 50(8),
pp.650-660.