Thinkers50 Announces Partnership in New European Rendanheyi Research Centre

London 10 June 2020

Today, Thinkers50 is announcing a new partnership with the Haier Model Research Institute to establish the European Rendanheyi Research Centre.

Rendanheyi – a Chinese word which fuses the words for employee and user value – is the highly innovative management model used by Haier. It has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, as a case study in business schools worldwide, and in books by Bill Fischer, Gary Hamel, and others.

“We are thrilled to further develop our long standing collaboration with Haier,” says Thinkers50 cofounder Stuart Crainer. “In the past, we exclusively looked for management best practice in western enterprises. Now, we also draw wisdom from eastern enterprises. Rendanheyi is an innovative model for the IoT era. With its emphasis on giving people responsibility, using technology to eliminate distance to consumers, and developing mutually beneficial ecosystems, we have long believed that Redanheyi is as important as it is innovative. This was the key reason we awarded the Thinkers50 Ideas into Practice Award to Haier CEO Zhang Ruimin in 2015.”

The new European Rendanheyi Research Centre will create unique opportunities for European managers and researchers to learn more about Rendanheyi, create new related research, and share knowledge. It is part of a global network with partner research centres in Singapore, India, and the United States.

“We are excited by this new partnership with Thinkers50 to let people learn more about Rendanheyi,” says Zhang Ruimin, CEO of the Haier Group. “We have always believed that management can be a competitive advantage and that great management is a force for good in the world. Rendanheyi is a way of working but also a powerful way of thinking.”

In July, the Centre will be publishing the first fruits of this partnership – Ecosystems Inc., a book featuring contributions from the world’s leading management thinkers. Case studies, online learning, and other research projects are planned. The Centre will also offer access to content and resources related to Rendanheyi and organized visits to Haier’s European operations and headquarters in Qingdao, China.

About Thinkers50

Thinkers50 identifies, ranks, and shares the very best management ideas. Its definitive global ranking of management thinkers is published every two years. The 2019 winners were W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne. Previous winners: Roger Martin (2017); Michael Porter (2015 and 2005); Clayton Christensen (2013 and 2011); CK Prahalad (2009 and 2007); and Peter Drucker (2003 and 2001).

About Haier

Founded in 1984, Haier is a leading global provider of better-life solutions. In the process of continuous entrepreneurial innovation, Haier adheres to its belief that “human value comes first”. Coined by Zhang Ruimin, Chairman and CEO of the Haier Group, the Rendanheyi model has been exported and replicated trans-sectorally and cross-culturally for its relevance, universality, and social application.

Haier Group has evolved a collective small factory on the verge of collapse into a leading ecosystem of the IoT era. It is the first and the only IoT ecosystem brand included in the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands.

Contacts

For more information please contact
Stuart Crainer (stuart.crainer@thinkers50.com) or
Des Dearlove (des.dearlove@thinkers50.com).