Haier Zhang Ruimin to Become Management's Next Icon

Haier Zhang Ruimin to Become Management's Next Icon "I don't know of any manager innovating on a larger scale or more broadly or fearlessly than Zhang."--Geoff Colvin, senior-editor-at-large, Fortune Geoff Colvin, senior editor-at-large of Fortune magazine and columnist published an article titled Zhang Ruimin: Management's Next Icon on July 15, 2011. The initial knowledge of Geoff Colvin about Haier's CEO was only Zhang's fame and achievements in the implementation of group brand strategy. But his interview with Zhang during The Performance Theatre brought him up to date with deeper understanding of Haier's innovative business model in the era of Internet. Colvin finished the interview "not realizing that he was only getting started." Colvin gave an easy-to-understand introduction to Haier's business model innovation: "He reorganized the entire company into self-managed units, each devoted to a customer or a group of similar customers. The units include employees at all levels from the usual functions - design, manufacturing, marketing, and so on." On such innovation, Colvin held such an opinion: "I don't know of any manager innovating on a larger scale or more broadly or fearlessly than Zhang. The reason Zhang keeps at it is pretty simple. His energy mirrors the larger forces driving China's amazing rise. His abiding "hunger" for breakthrough probably explains why he is deemed a global management icon and will enable him to achieve greater reputation in the future I presume" Caption: Geoff Colvin (left) interviewing with Haier's CEO Zhang Ruimin at TPT.