3M’s 15% Culture

3M’s unique 15% Culture encourages employees to set aside a portion of their work time to proactively cultivate and pursue innovative ideas that excite them. While coordinating with their manager to ensure day-to-day responsibilities are still executed, employees get the space to try something new and different, think creatively and challenge the status quo. Whether it’s experimenting with a new technology, forming a special interest group around a fresh idea or finding a new way to run a process, our 15% Culture gives employees in all areas the license to innovate. Countless innovations have been created thanks to our 15% Culture, including Multilayer Optical Film, Cubitron™ Abrasive Grains, Emphaze™ AEX Hybrid Purifier, APC™ Flash-Free Adhesive and Post-It® Notes!

The foundation of 3M’s collaborative and organizational culture started with William McKnight, who served as our President and then Chairman of the Board for 37 years. He was a visionary in his perspective on people and innovation:

“Hire good people and leave them alone. Delegate responsibility and encourage men and women to exercise their initiative. Management that is destructively critical when mistakes are made kills initiative. And it’s essential that we have many people with initiative if we are to continue to grow,” said McKnight. 3M actively seeks to promote McKnight’s principles in our ongoing efforts to solve tomorrow’s problems.