The innovation strategy of IBM and 3M

Some of the world's top companies, such as 3M and IBM, attach great importance to the role of innovation. Their experience shows that in order to achieve effective innovation, enterprises need not only talents and funds, but also create an environment and atmosphere suitable for innovation, as well as an effective incentive system to ensure that.

3M's innovation strategy

3M can be said to be a giant enterprise to a certain extent. 3M has invented more than 50,000 products so far, launched more than 100 products almost every year, has 40 product divisions, and New departments are established every year. The biggest feature of 3M is its diversification strategy, which involves many industries, among which tapes and related products account for more than 70% of the turnover.

3M ensures innovation through a series of links, including strong support system, effective incentive system, setting a shining example in the company and treating innovation as a game.

Strong support system "Innovation Support System" is the basic unit of 3M support system. This special group has three important characteristics: it is jointly participated by various specialized talents, all are volunteers, and have considerable autonomy .

An innovation team is often composed of dedicated technical, manufacturing, and marketing, business, and financial staff. One of the key features of this team is that the innovation team is made up of all volunteers. This motivates the team members themselves, which makes many members accountable for their work. 3M also specifically guarantees that the innovation team has considerable autonomy and job security.

An effective incentive system. 3M's reward system, whether it is for the team or the individual, has a considerable incentive effect. When a product development plan is completed, each member of the team is promoted as a result. In 3M Company, as long as a person participates in the development of new product innovation, his title and status will be continuously adjusted with performance. If a first-line engineer's product enters the market, he can be promoted to "product engineer", and when the sales of the product exceeds the 5 million mark, he can be the "engineering technical manager of the entire product series" ”, when it breaks through the 20 million mark, the product can be upgraded to an independent product department, and the main technical personnel of this team will become “engineering managers”.

Set a shining example. In order to effectively educate and motivate employees, 3M often presents some real examples of the company's executives to influence and educate young people who want to become innovation fighters. These people around them have a great inspiration for the younger generation.

A successful innovation fighter receives a heroic hospitality from 3M. For products that exceed the 1 million sales mark, the company will hold a "celebration party" for these developers every year with great fanfare. Under such incentives, these young engineers will bravely take risks with new ideas.

Take innovation as a game. At 3M, product innovation is seen as a game. Any product plan that has the potential to become a promising product will not be disturbed in any way. In 3M's corporate values, almost all ideas are acceptable. Even losers are encouraged. 3M is happy to provide research funds for use by various departments. There are often innovation fighters who are constantly trying and experimenting until the invention is successful.

IBM's innovation strategy

IBM, the International Business Machines Corporation, was founded in the United States in 1914 and is the world's largest multinational company in the information industry. Unique products guide the development of the information industry, and IBM has always stood out in the industry with its innovative vitality.

We value the role of communication. At IBM, we attach great importance to the role of communication. IBM regards communication as an important means of motivating employees to innovate. IBM often provides some support for informal communication among employees, and many innovative ideas are generated in communication. In order to ensure that employees' inventions are closely combined with customers' needs, IBM has a mature communication system between the internal research department and the product department, most of which are employees who are in close contact with the market.

IBM believes that the main factor behind the gradual innovation of individuals. IBM employees have a relatively relaxed research environment and a free research atmosphere, encouraging innovative teamwork methods, not only encouraging exchanges between different members of the team, but also promoting exchanges between different fields and industries, because different fields Different knowledge backgrounds and experiences lead to different ideas.

Institutionalize innovation. In some excellent enterprises, innovation is often institutionalized, and IBM's "Innovative Personnel Program" is one example. At IBM, people who are often called "dreamers" and "geniuses" are valued, and no company has ever provided so many positions for these people to specialize in "revolutionary institutions" like IBM.

In order to stimulate the innovation desire of scientific and technological personnel, the company has adopted a series of ingenious systems to stimulate innovation personnel. For successful innovators, "IBM Membership" can be awarded, and 5 years of time and necessary material support can be provided, so that innovators have enough time and funds to carry out innovative activities.

IBM's use of this kind of reward can be described as "two birds with one stone", it not only allows innovators to receive certain material rewards, but also to meet their achievements, in addition, it can also use this to retain talents and encourage them to invest in the company's investment capacity. Get more repayment and work harder to innovate.

Large capital investment. IBM believes that to ensure innovation, one is talent and the other is investment. IBM invests $5 billion annually in technology research and development. It is precisely because of its large-scale investment that IBM has achieved fruitful results. In the past ten consecutive years, IBM has been the company with the most patents in the world, and has obtained more than 28,000 US patents, far exceeding HP, Dell, Microsoft, The total number of patents of companies such as SUN.

SHARON WANG is Associate Editor of the CEConlines website.