New 3M CEO has orders to grow the company.

Byline: John Welbes

Dec. 9--3M Co.'s new chief executive says the marching orders became clear during his interviews with the board of directors earlier this year: Keep growing the company.

"If there's a single thing that people were interested in, that was it," CEO George Buckley said Thursday during an introductory conference call with analysts and reporters.

The question is whether a CEO with a Ph.D. in electrical engineering will favor an approach that fully embraces 3M's bent for innovation or one that's more cost-conscious and intent on increasing profit margins.

Buckley indicated Thursday he wants to strike a balance between 3M's renowned research-and-development efforts and its bottom line.

"3M has a magnificent history of research and development," he said, …