The Tech Forum is an internal organization focused on innovation through interaction and the nurturing of connections. Through networking and communication, the forum fosters an environment of creativity and cooperation that leads to innovation and growth. The forum celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2001. It is the center of technical interchange at 3M, and its slogan is “innovation through interaction.”

The forum is organized into 35 to 40 chapters (or communities) that focus on technologies, skills, and interests across the company. The greater technical community includes manufacturing and engineering. Membership in one or more of these chapters is a great way to network and share ideas across the company. Larger chapters have monthly meetings, whereas others don’t meet quite as often. These meetings involve networking and speakers (internal and/or external). All forum meetings are filmed, indexed, and archived. Membership in these chapters is voluntary, and every technical person across the organization (not just R&D) is considered a member. Chapter leadership is encouraged and thought of kindly in performance evaluations. For new employees, these chapters are one method of connecting with others in the organization with similar skills and interests. The chapters foster information and technology sharing across divisions, which is critical to 3M’s survival. Membership allows an employee to look outside his or her 3M industry at different technologies and bring them in to develop new products.

The Tech Forum senate convenes to discuss 3M issues and direction. Each business unit or laboratory assigns a Tech Forum senator. There is also a Technical Council comprised of the technical directors (leaders) of all the technical laboratories. The people involved in this council and the executive council ensure the company is thinking about customer needs and growth opportunities all the time.