Evolution of the Platform Organization: What We Can Learn From Haier

In mid-2018, I undertook a research project with the goal that is fairly well-expressed in what became the title of the project’s final report: Evolution of the Platform Organization: What We Can Learn From Haier. I posted the talk I was honored to share at the 2nd International Rendanheyi Model Forum, held on 20 September 2018 in Qingdao, China Work (see Evolution of the Platform Organization), but I have not posted the report, until today.

Introduction

We live in a time of enormous change, confronted by an uncertain future. While it is hard to see ahead, we can anticipate the form of impending change by looking back to the past. We can look back at how communications and information technologies have impacted human societies, and led to the structure of our institutions and businesses. As has often been observed,

History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes.

So we can tease out the lineaments of the future by sketching the patterns of the past, looking in the rear-view mirror while…