Creating

Breakthroughs
at 3M
Presented by: GROUP 3
Saransh Bansal - 19020841141
Rupam Biswas – 19020841137
Aniket Patil - 19020841073
Pratik Bhamre - 19020841053
Kshitij Anand - 19020841014
 LEAD USER METHODOLOGY

Phase1: Laying the Phase 2: Determining the

foundation
• Identify the markets to
target.
• Determine the type and level
of innovations desired by
stakeholders within the
company.
trends
• Seek opinion of experts &
people who have a broad
view of emerging
technologies and leading-
edge applications in the area
being studied.
 Phase 3: Identifying lead users
• Initiate a networking process to identify and
learn from users at the leading edge of the
target market and related markets.
LEAD USER • Gather information that helps identify
METHODOLO promising innovations and ideas.
GY • Based on info collected, shape preliminary
product ideas.
• Assess the business potential of the
concepts and how they fit with company
interests.
 Phase 3: Identifying lead users

How to find Lead Users?

LEAD USER • Networking: Teams begin by explaining their

problem to individuals who have expertise on
METHODOLO the subject.
GY • Then they ask for a referral to someone who
has even more relevant knowledge.
• Eventually, this successive networking (in
related as well as not-so related fields) leads to
Lead Users at the front of the target market.
 Phase 3: Identifying lead users
LEAD USER
METHODOLO Networking to Lead Users
GY • Lead Users can help redefine goals.
• Medical Imaging team's initial goal to create
high resolution images changed based on inputs from
Lead Users. 
• Their discovery of military specialists' use of pattern
recognition led them to a new goal: to find methods
to recognize medically significant patterns, whether by
better image resolution or by other means.

• Team focused on Medical imaging identified need to detect

smaller and smaller features like early stage tumors. 
• They identified lead users in the field of Medical radiology,
semiconductor imaging, and pattern recognition.
 Phase 4: Developing the
breakthrough
• Begin by hosting a work- shop with several lead
users, in-house marketing and technical people,
and the lead user team.
LEAD USER • Participants first work in small groups and then
METHODOLO as a whole to design final concepts that
precisely fit the company’s needs.
GY • After the workshop, the project team:
• further hones the concepts.
• determines whether they fit the needs of
target market users
• eventually presents recommendation to
senior managers.
LEAD USER METHODOLOGY EXPLAINED USING THE
SURGICAL DRAPES EXAMPLE

Six member cross

functional team formed
To find a better disposable
Objective ---->> The Team ---->> comprising members from
surgical drape.
R&D, marketing &
manufacturing.

Surgical drapes were not

Surgical drapes were too providing fool-proof
Surgical drapes sales
Problems ---->> expensive for markets protection against microbes;
was stagnating.
in developing countries. were not very effective in
hotter conditions.
 Phase 1
• The group learned more about cause and prevention of infection by
researching literature and interviewing experts.
• The group then held a workshop with management, discussed all
they had learned and set parameters for acceptable type of
breakthrough products.
LEAD USER
METHODOLOGY EXPLAINED USI
NG 
Phase 2
THE SURGICAL DRAPES • Focus on better understanding trends in infection control.
EXAMPLE
• Team sent to India, Indonesia and Korea learned:
• Cheap antibiotics used by surgeons as substitute for expensive
drapes.
• Recipe for crises as microbes develop resistance to antibiotics
over time.
• Problem redefined: Find cheaper & effective infection control
method that does not depend on antibiotics.
 Phase 3
• Networking to identify lead users:
• Specialists in Veterinary Hospitals who managed to keep infection
rates very low despite difficult conditions.
• Hollywood’s make-up artists who are experts in applying skin
materials that do not irritate & are easy to remove.

Phase 4
LEAD USER
METHODOLOGY EXPLAINED USI • Lead Users invited to a two-and-half day workshop to discuss various ideas.
NG  • Participants discussed in small groups and then as a whole.
THE SURGICAL DRAPES
EXAMPLE • Three product line concepts emerged:
• Economy line of surgical drapes ( using existing 3M tech,
not breakthrough).
• Skin Doctor line of handheld devices that could lace anti-
microbial substances on patients’ skin and vacuum up blood/other liquids
during surgery.
• Armor line of products that could be used in catheters and tubes allowing
3M to enter a $2 bn market aimed at controlling of bloodborne, urinary
tract, respiratory infections.
  Lead User Methodology formalizes and
systematizes the process of innovation.
 It cannot guarantee 100% success, but then
nothing can

CONCLUSIO  Lead User strategy increases the chances of

success
N  Lead User strategy can also reduce the time it
takes for breakthrough innovations (often the
lead users have already developed some sort
of prototype) as companies do not have to start
from scratch.