Zhang Ruimin, chairman and CEO of the Haier Group, took charge of a struggling refrigerator factory in the 1980s and turned it into a global powerhouse of consumer electronics and home appliances. Zhang believes that the company’s Rendanheyi model — a concept that encourages entrepreneurship and empowers every department to operate like a micro-enterprise — is a key pillar of its success. Rendanheyi, he says, allows every employee to connect with the end users, understand their needs and create value for them. In a recent conversation with Knowledge at Wharton in New York City, Zhang spoke about his early days at Haier, the transformation through Rendanheyi and the new challenges of the Internet of Things (IoT) era. An edited transcript of the conversation follows. Knowledge at Wharton: If you think back to the beginning of your leadership journey, who were your earliest role models? What lessons did you learn from them that have stood the test of time?…