Haier ZeroDX Journey 2025 - Case Studies, Insights and Learnings (Post 1 - The Journey)
Image source: HMI
Mirko Kleiner & Paolo Sammicheli – At the LAP Alliance, our mission is to connect movements like Agile Leadership, Scaling Agile, Lean-Agile Procurement, and more to advance Business Agility.
A standout example is Haier, a global pioneer that transformed from a traditional manufacturer into a network of 4,800 Micro Enterprises (MEs), each operating autonomously and co-creating value within Ecosystem Micro Communities(EMCs). This large-scale, win-win model is unlike anything else in the world.
The LAP Alliance has been collaborating with the Haier Model Institute to promote Haier’s New Economic Engine - RenDanHeYi: a management approach with no bureaucracy and consistent 20% growth.
In this blog series, we’ll share key takeaways from the Haier Zero Distance Excellence Journey 2025, and explore how AI and ecosystems are shaping the future of business.
Post 1 - The ZeroDX Journey 2025.
In 2024, 70 global enterprises undergoing Zero Distance transformation actively participated in the ZeroDX Awards, generating significant international resonance. To further amplify the “Zero Distance” philosophy and engage more organizations worldwide in adopting, practicing, and evolving this concept, the Business Ecosystem Alliance (BEA) and the Global RenDanHeYi Research Centers are jointly launching the “ZeroDX Journey”.
Source: HMI
This initiative offers participating enterprises from this year’s evaluation cycle exclusive opportunities for site visits and exchanges with Zero Distance benchmark companies, alongside collaborative development of the ZeroDX Announcement with the Zero Distance Community. The outcomes are scheduled for release at The 9th RenDanHeYi Model Leading Forum and the 2nd ZeroDX Awards in Bejing, China on Sep 19th, 2025.
Our Participants
Mirko, a recognized international RenDanHeYi expert, and Paolo, Board Member of the LAP Alliance, were invited by the Haier Model Institute (HMI) to participate in the ZeroDX Journey.
Alongside them were key figures from Haier’s leadership — including Chairman Emeritus and Founder Zhang Ruimin— as well as other international RenDanHeYi experts, representatives from the HMI, and a diverse group of guests, nominees, entrepreneurs, and business leaders from across industries.
image source: Mirko Kleiner
Paolo and I kicked off the ZeroDX Journey in Milano — our first stop. Over a great dinner, we had plenty of time to reconnect and exchange ideas, setting the tone for what would become a recurring theme throughout the trip: meaningful conversations in inspiring settings.
This post offers a first overview of the ZeroDX Journey. In the upcoming blog entries, we’ll dive deeper into the company visits, case studies, key insights, and takeaways from this unique experience.
1st Day - Var Group
On our first day we’d the pleasure to visit the Var Group with over 4,200 employees, a leading Italian digital services provider and business transformation for enterprises across various industries.
At first the guests got some context about Haiers Management Model RenDanHeYi by international experts and Haier’s Chairman Emeritus Zhang Ruimin.
Image source: Mirko Kleiner, contents: HMI
👉#Checkout - Post 2 - Haier’s Founder Zhang Ruimin about why is Haier so successful?
Afterwards Francesca Moriani, VAR Group's CEO shared her personal motivation for the change, how it’s going and where they are up to. Key driver was her own believe in a new culture of collaboration and win-win. From a business side the Var Group was suffering a scaling challange, growing so fast and the question how to integrate 35 acquired companies?
I’m ready to trust out people and “loose” control
— Francesca Moriani CEO VAR Group
Francesca was backed up by Eugenio Capasso, VAR Group's Head of Org & Digital, Enrico Corradini, VAR Group's Head of Digital Law - Both leading a Micro Enterprise and Alessandro di Stefano, VAR Group's Head of HR. What stood out was the (new) passion of everybody and the commercial success.
image source: Mirko Kleiner, contents: Var Group
Something more to dive in is their new shared platform Symphony, which allows them to connect various Micro Enterprises much faster, ruling and automate objectives, progress, payments, etc.
After the insights shared by the Var group representatives of international RenDanHeYi Experts joint the panel and discussed their observations and answered questions from the audience.
#Staytuned - We might a publish a more detailed blog post about the VAR Group Case Study
After a pleasant lunch, more time to exchange and learn we moved on to Brescia our next stop.
This pivotal moment occurred back in 2006, when Haier turned its traditional hierarchy upside down, revolutionizing the way the company operated.
2nd Day - Gummy Industries
After a great Italian dinner and a breakfast in a traditional hotel the journey continued at Gummy Industries, a creative digital agency based in Brescia, Italy, that blends playful, non‑traditional branding with serious strategic depth.
Day two was kicked off by the Mayor of Brescia, who spoke about the importance of staying responsive to market changes and embracing our social responsibility as entrepreneurs.
Next up was Fabrizio Martire, Co-Founder and CEO of Gummy Industries. He energized the room with his passion for innovation, the decentralization of strategic thinking, and sustainable growth. Fabrizio shared his personal journey of rethinking management and driving organizational innovation — and explained why RenDanHeYi at Gummy Industries is brought to life through a unique system of “kitchens.”
Image source: Mirko Kleiner
As a branding expert, Fabrizio knew from the beginning that simply copying an existing model was never an option — he needed to craft a new identity from within. Together with his team, he developed a restaurant metaphor to bring RenDanHeYi to life at Gummy Industries:
The Micro Enterprises (MEs) became kitchens
The ME owners were chefs
And the service portfolio of each kitchen was its menu
etc.
This creative approach allowed the team to embrace decentralization while staying true to their brand DNA.
image source: Mirko Kleiner, contents by Gummy Industries
One of the elements I wasn’t thinking of yet was very inspiring. From time to time they bring in “Food critics” - External experts that give them an outside view on how they are doing - quite cool!
#Staytuned - We might a publish a more detailed blog post about the Gummy Industries Case Study
Beside the reorganization into Micro Enterprises Fabrizio and his team have also setup a self-organized innovation procedure, that allows everybody to become a chef, create his/her own kitchen and even grow out of Gummy Industries creating their own Restaurant.
One question for the audience that stood out was - What’s your role Fabrizio as a CEO? The answer was rather surprising. Of course he still feels responsible to further develop the management model, but his main daily task is to improve their Fresh Market - A shared service platform that serves all the kitchens.
Mirko had to go back home, but Paolo continued the journey.
3rd Day - ASA Group
3rd and last day on the ZeroDX Journey in Italy we’ve visited the ASA Group in San Marino….
summery will be added soon
#Staytuned - We might a publish a more detailed blog post about the ASA Group Case Study
Conclusions
We were already quite familiar with Haier's New Economic Engine and its foundation, the Haier Management Model (RenDanHeYi). However, seeing it in action left me truly blown away. The way it is applied, its profound impact on people, and its commercial success are remarkable.
It’s fair to say that Haier is at least 20 years ahead of any competitor and stands as the most disruptive organization in terms of ways of working. Their unwavering focus on user scenarios, the empowerment granted to Haier’s entrepreneurs and 3rd party ecosystem partners, and the unmatched pace of innovation—both in products and organizational structure—set them apart from the rest of the business world.
We’d also not miss the conversations, exchanges in between the sessions. Meeting such leaders, entrepreneurs and forward thinkers was again remarkable.
Next Post - Haier’s founder about the new Management Model
Stay tuned for the upcoming posts in this series!
All Posts of this Series
Post 1 - The ZeroDX Journey 2025
Post 2 - Haier’s Founder Zhang Ruimin about why is Haier so successful?
Post 3 - The VAR Group Case Study (Staytuned - in progress)
Post 4 - The Gummy Industries Case Study (Staytuned - in progress)
Post 5 - The ASA Group Case Study (Staytuned - in progress)
Post 4 - The Haier ZeroDX Awards 2025 (Staytuned - later in Sep/Oct)
Post 5 - Our Haier ZeroDX Awards 2025 Ecosystem Case Studies (Staytuned - later in Sep/Oct)