"Management is a permanent issue, there is no final answer."When it comes to management, Haier Group Chairman of the Board and CEO Zhang Ruimin is no stranger to being innovative and flexible. In transforming Haier into a totally interconnected company, he has put theory into practice.
How has the world’s most famous Chinese CEO brought his company into the Internet-era? And how will those ideas grow, evolve and influence? On November 11, Stuart Crainer, renowned management analyst, author, and co-founder of Thinkers50, met with Zhang to open the Thinkers50 IdeasLab at Haier's Qingdao (China) headquarters. Thinkers50, is the world’s foremost management analysis and ranking organization.
At the opening of the Thinkers50 Lab, Stuart Crainer stated, "We hope that Haier's base will give us a better understanding of Haier's extraordinary management innovations and China's approach to management and leadership in the 21st century.” Thinkers50 was founded in 2001, and every two years discovers, ranks and shares the best management concepts and practices.
This new Chinese learning base was announced following the establishment of the "Thinkers50 Europe" in Odense, Denmark.
Zhang Ruimin, in only 30 years, built Haier up from one small, failing factory, to a global powerhouse employing 70,000 employees worldwide and annual income of more than RMB 188.7 billion. In the words of Thinkers50:
"Zhang and Haier, and have achieved impressive results – their management experiments and innovation are unique in size.”
Congratulations, Thinkers50, and welcome to Qingdao!
