Running head: LEADERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABILITY 1
Proposal
Leadership for Sustainability
Name
Affiliation
Date
LEADERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABILITY 2
Leadership for Sustainability
3M Company
Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing (3M) is an American company, which provides
consumer goods and offer healthcare, work safety, and industry services. Main products or
services of the company are window films, paint defense films, adhesives, individual protective
equipment, abrasives, laminates, passive fire protection. The company was founded in 1902.
According to 2018 financial reports, the revenue of the company is US$32.77 billion [ CITATION
Tre19 \l 1033 ]. The business expansion and profitability have become the main preferences of
the management to get an edge over other rivals. However, sustainable development is
mandatory for business survival. A useful situational analysis is needed to derive internal and
external insights and reflect the management’s intentions regarding sustainable leadership and
development.
Situational Analysis
3M is actively contributing to the environment sustainability efforts and has been consciously
socially responsible along with working for its economic progress as well. The management is
focused on providing innovative technology for the ever changing world. The fast organic
growth and innovation are the main USP for the company. The company has embarked on a
journey of embracing sustainability efforts for its clients as well as employees. These
sustainability efforts are at the core of the innovation strategy of the company. The pollution
prevention pays program launched in 1975 and the goals of sustainability for 2025 shows the
commitment of the company towards this cause. The company has cut its green house emissions
by 57% alongside launching greener products[ CITATION 3M191 \l 1033 ]. The company has the
goal of launching all new products within the sustainability framework. It has been dedicated in
tackling some of the pressing issues like health and safety, water, energy, raw material and
education. The management goals for next 10 years are already planned. The goal of zero waste
is going to be further achieved by reducing waste by 10% in the next ten years. Furthermore,
additional 30% of the manufacturing sites are going to be given the status of zero landfill. Water
usage is going to be reduced by 10% as well. Energy efficiency is targeted to be improved by
30% with total usage of renewable sources to be increased to 25% of total consumption. Training
on worker and patient safety would be given to 5 million people[ CITATION 3M19 \l 1033 ].
Furthermore, investment in education and community development will be also prioritized. With
such huge sustainability targets, the company is too much dependent on the performance of its
processes and more importantly on its employees and leadership. Right leadership and strategy
for future is necessary to achieve the sustainability goals 3M has set for itself.
Leadership & Sustainability
Based on the situational analysis of the company, the management must consider
sustainable business practices. The sustainable business practice can help to gain and sustain the
competitive advantage over the other rivals. Thus, the first step of the leadership team of the
company is to set conditions and priorities. For Instance, the leadership team has to create
urgency when intending to transform the technology. The leadership team must assess the need
and set conditions to initiate sustainable development. Integrating with the triple-bottom-line is a
right approach, but the leadership team must have to streamline specific and tangible goals and
objective for the short and long run. Instead of embracing drastic change, tiny steps are preferred
to evolve effectively. 3M is a potential firm, which can enable sustainable development.
However, the role of the leadership team is to establish and articulate the purpose. Sustainable
LEADERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABILITY 3
development needs a management team, which is not risk-averse. Assertiveness is required for
the change process to make a difference [ CITATION And12 \l 1033 ].
References
3M. (2019, March 12). 3M Sustainability. Retrieved March 12, 2019, from 3M: http://hrmasia.com/3m-
sustainability-talent/
LEADERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABILITY 4
3M. (2019, March 12). Facing Global Challenges Head On. Retrieved March 12, 2019, from 3m.com:
https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/sustainability-us/global-challenges/
Black, S. (2016, June 22). What Strengths Differentiate 3M Company from the Competition? Retrieved
from https://articles.marketrealist.com/2016/06/strengths-differentiate-3m-company-
competition/
News Center. (2018, December 5). 3M to Embed Sustainability into Every New Product. Retrieved from
https://news.3m.com/3M-embeds-sustainability-into-every-new-product
Trefis Team. (2019, February 5). 3M To Continue Steady Growth Through 2019. Retrieved from Forbes:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/02/05/3m-to-continue-steady-growth-
through-2019/#3041e8a227e7
Winston, A. (2012, May 15). 3M’s Sustainability Innovation Machine. Retrieved from HBR:
https://hbr.org/2012/05/3ms-sustainability-innovation.html
