#109—Jayshree Seth: Effective Collaboration and Innovation Between Science and Business

Outthinkers

Jayshree Seth is a Corporate Scientist at 3M who currently holds 80 patents for a variety of innovations, with several additional pending. Jayshree was appointed 3M’s first ever Chief Science Advocate in 2018 and as is using her scientific knowledge, technical expertise and professional experience to advance science and communicate the benefits of science and the importance of diversity in STEM fields to drive innovation. She has a MS and PhD in Chemical Engineering from Clarkson University, New York and bachelors of tech in chemical engineering form the prestigious NIIT Trichy in India.

In this discussion, we dive deep into the topic of some of books, especially her latest, The Heart of Science, with material from her upcoming book, Engineering Blueprint and a fascinating Fast Company article she co-wrote with our good friend Rita McGrath titles, A guide for managing innovation: 4 big mistakes technologists wish their business leaders would stop making. She has a lifetime of experiencing building bridges between science and business, something 3M is uniquely good at.

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In this episode, she shares:

• How the scientific and technical community embraces ambiguity and failure--and what business leaders can learn from them
• Tips on how to foster effective, collaborative communication with your technical employees on the frontline, that are in line with both strategic goals with realistic expectations.
• How to foster and optimize the opportunity for "uncommon connections” —or or fortuitous collision of ideas—to happen.
• A sneak peek into the culture of empowerment at 3M that makes them a powerhouse of innovation

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Episode Timeline:

00:00—Highlight from today's episode
1:46—Introducing Jayshree + The topic of today’s episode
4:13—If you really know me, you know that...
5:30—What's your definition of strategy?
6:36—Do you believe that the field of management is scientific?
10:59—Can you lay out the four mistakes leadership make when working with techical people on a high level?
11:50—The first mistake: Misdefining ambition
14:53—The second mistake: Limiting collaboration
19:20—Can you lay out the idea of leveraging vs. learning, and how leadership plays a role in this?
25:02—The third mistake: Dismissing technical process
23:58—What are your thoughts around the rise in dynamic pricing?
27:37—Could you describe some attributes unique to 3M that activate innovation
32:19—What are some last thoughts you'd like to share with us?

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Additional Resources:

Fas Company Article: A guide for managing innovation: 4 big mistakes technologists wish their business leaders would stop making.

Books

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayshree-seth-6287b45

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