Reinventing Giants: How Chinese Global Competitor Haier Has Changed the Way Big Companies Transform

CHAPTER 5

BUILDING A CORPORATE CULTURE FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

So how does it all really work? That’s the fundamental question for those of us who are involved in the day-to-day management of complex organizations. All too often, these new initiatives sound great in theory, but it’s in the details where the devil lurks. In this chapter, we get into the details and listen to the firsthand experiences of Haier employees.

Haier can be thought of as a universe of autonomous business units—ZZJYTs—that are bound together by common brands, strategic goals, values, and internal Haier organizing principles but otherwise operate as independent businesses coordinated by contractual relationships. We also know from prior chapters that there are several ...