By Adjunct Professor of Management Jeff Sampler

Haier, the leading Chinese home appliance manufacturer, is a state-owned company that’s existed for the past three decades – practically an eternity in fast moving China! Zhang Ruimin, its current Chief Executive Officer, is widely credited with rescuing what was, in the 1980s, a dilapidated refrigerator company and turning it into a world-class organization. Ruimin is an innovator who had a vision for change that was based on quality improvement and process efficiency. To emphasize the need for change when the company was struggling and close to bankruptcy, Ruimin brought dozens of poorly made refrigerators down to the factory floor and distributed sledgehammers to employees. In a move that no one present would ever forget, he ordered workers to demolish the refrigerators. He took the first swing himself. It was an iconic moment that defined the organization and established a corporate culture based on high standards and productivity. With a single hammer swing, he instantly changed the course of the organization. Read more on Forbes.com

Image by Thomas Hawk, Flickr