CASE STUDY

INNOVATION, IPR & COMMERCIALIZATION EMG 354-2

M.A.M Sheriff UWU/SCT/08/0037 UWU/EX/08/0323

CASE STUDY
AN ASSIGNMENT BY: UWU/SCT/08/0037

INNOVATION, IPR AND COMMERCIALIZATION EMG 354-2 ACADEMIC YEAR-2011

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY DEGREE PROGRAMME UWA WELLASSA UNIVERSITY

Question no: 1
The Minnesota mining and manufacturing company has recognized trough out the world for its product development and innovation management. The fortune has always credited it as t e most h respected and most innovative company. It started in 1902 mining abrasive mineral for its single product sand paper. At present the 3M manufactures over 60,000 products, have operation in 61 countries. It employs over 70000 people and has year to year growth in sales of 10%. It is planning to form a new company.

The company has variety of management techniques. It has its own culture build on over 90 years nurturing ideas and fostering activity. The ability to set up clear objectives and to communicate them from top to bottom and vice versa is a bit of company s good management. The company uses a combination of structures research and individual freedom to explore ideas. The scientists spent 15% of their time conducting project of their own choosing. This is an actively encouraging new product development. The company has developed a culture devoted to create new products and build new business by employing formal and informal processes. The company hires good people and trusts them. The company has arrived at present enviable position with a unique combination of activities. The demand for innovation is another technique they practice. The company has set objectives not only to develop new products, but also to represent 30% of the business sales f om the product that is r less than 4 years old. This management style is part of the culture they are nurturing for the search of new ideas through daily activities. The 3M has developed this approach over many years and developing new products is much higher on the agenda of management meeting than other companies. The achievement grains through continuous reinforcement of the objectives. The 10% sales within one year of product is another goal to be achieved by the managers.

Scientists and engineers are given 15% of their week time to work on projects and ideas they consider to be potential interest to the company with the result of this practice the 3M was able to develop the post-it note a product initiated by Spencer silver. A research chemist and no one could find a use of it them. The post-it brand technology has turned to make fine book markers with the application of the properties to paper strips by art fry.

The company has believed the idea of tolerating failure for over 60 years and 3Margued thatevery one is aware of the need to try new ideas. The company has good experience over making decisions to bring in strategy through informal discussions among the individuals involved. The company today makes use of more than 100 technologies that contrib utes to the products, it develops and manufactures. The 3M invests 6.5% of its annual sales turn over in research and development. It is about two times that of the top 50 industrial companies in the USA. It is this technological intensity that provides the company with the advantage to complete with the rival companies. The

communication of ideas helps to ensure that a company can maximize the return on its substantial investment in the technology. Very often it is in the combination of apparently divers technologies through technology transfer that has led to major product innovation. The technological innovation of micro replication adopted to make plastic lens. It was first developed for over head projects and the company has become they lending produces of over head projectors, brighter reflective material for traffic signs, floppy disks, laptop computer screen and fiber optic connectors are produced based on that technology.

The company has the prospect of communication of ideas and technology transfer With this . developed leading major product innovation of micro replication technology it helped the invention of plastic lenses to perform better than the conventional lenses made of heavy glass. This technology applied to produce over head projectors and the 3M became leading firm in the world. The research shows that the 3M Company is ahead of other companies in product development, innovation management, and in applying other management theories, for its success.

Question no: 2
The revelations on an analysis of 3M company, the researcher discuses its activity under the heading freedom for creativity has explored some points in favorable of the activity and some not. It has a method of providing resources to entrepreneurs, encourage to innovative effort an effective method of giving room for creativity. This is a common practice in most large R and D laboratories as at 3M.

The autonomy given to worker works free on ideas of his own on projects consider to be of potential to the company. It is remarkable and encourages towards innovative effort. This excellence of a management is obvious in 3M productivity through people autonomy and entrepreneurship empowers people to explore innovative technology.

The result of this practice by Spencer Silver and Art Fry work on a project using the opportunity given on 15% rule worked on a project led to develop a new product. The post it note. The system has ability to manage the innovation problem and provide room for creativity slack when project is successful it is fine. On the other hand many R and D department in large company may have many on going new product research projects may consume large amount of resources and will not result in a new product. All part of new product game. But everyone is aware of the need to try new ideas the 3M believes. The failure is inevitable. Though the process to produce new product to the market takes tire some effort only the high companies with large resources and R and D laboratory with equipment can go on to take such risky opportunities. The resources consume on new research project cannot be afforded. But to innovation of new technology to produce new product will be a remarkable achievement. On a fraction of every 1000 new product venture will become successful.

Question no: 3
The 3M company s success is largely due to the significance given to science and technology many people argue. The search for new idea is part of daily activities. This objective has been effectively communicated through out the organization. The slogan has ingrained with in the management style and it is the part of the culture of the company to search for new ideas. In 1902 the company started with a single technology. Today it has more than 100 technologies. Some of them are membranes, biotechnology, Artificial intelligence, high vacuum, thin films and super conductivity. The products 3M is producing have developed and manufactured using the technology. The company investment 6.5% of its sales turn over support the activities in research and development. Our 7000 scientists and technologist are employed in developing new and interesting technology.

The technologies strengthens the product that are company developed and manufactured with the combination of varied technologies through technology transfer the company was able to develop major product innovations. The micro replication technology is the creation of practice microscope, three dimensional patterns on a variety of surfaces including plastic film. When the surface is changed numerous product possibilities emerge it was 1st developed for overhead projectors. 3M became the world s leading producer of overhead projectors; this technology helped the company to produce many products including better and brighter reflective materials for traffic signals. Floptical disk, laptop computer screen etc.

The other leading companies encourage their management in setting their objective and goals to conduct researches on product development and manufacture with new technologies.

Question no: 4
The 3M has commitments toward its growth orientation. The characteristic facilitate the innovation through a combination of formal and informal processes. The company has developed a culture devoted to creative new products and building new business. This is the 1st goal that is stated in 3M s formal principles of management that paved the way to bring in long term growth rather than short term profit. The company has set its vision, mission, goals, objectives in combination of outer and inner environmental factors to identify opportunities in the market and industry with careful analyze of external factors the company can find opportunities and threats in realization to objectives and goals. 3M has come over its threats through innovative technology. 3M Company has invested its 6.5% of annual sales turnover in research and development that amount of money is as twice as 50 top industries companies. The commitment to technology is substically high. The 3M has vast experience of failure in product resear projects. This acceptance of risk is an ch organizational requirement 3M Company will experience the economy set back in the USA and Europe. This will affect the sales and ultimate affect the whole process of product development innovation. The 3M company has ability to be aware of and to identify the effective advantage of externally develop technology. They adopted diverse technology through technology transfer. It has led to major product innovation. The company provides room for creativity. The micro replicate technology that has many new production 15% work time allocation for research is gained. The globalization and specialization and diversity of knowledge and skills have changed the span of production and sales in future and will behave unpresidently. Therefore adaptation to new situation is inevitable. Intensity of commitment invest on technology should stress and be global brand image. Cross functional cooperation organizational requirement gears to originate wide variety of new ideas. The need for motivation can achieve allowing and encouraging interpersonal and inter groups communication discussion sharing ideas. This makes the awareness of objectives of the firm and the external need for motivation people is halfway through. The friendly environ ment allows the establishment to transfer knowledge gain skills among workers transfer technology etc. Autonomy and entrepreneurship and productivity through people can be encouraged.