Core Insights - The current market is facing intensified "involution," prompting companies to seek new strategies for growth and sustainability [1] - Zhang Gongyun, Chairman of Haomai Group, emphasizes the need to move away from traditional cost-cutting and price competition, advocating for a focus on employee innovation [1][3] Involution Roots and Traps - The root cause of "involution" is identified as a long-term oversupply in the market, leading companies to resort to cost-cutting and aggressive marketing strategies [3] - Zhang warns that excessive reliance on these short-term tactics can result in the loss of talented employees and suppliers, undermining the foundation of the business [3] Key to Breaking the Deadlock: Tapping into Employee Potential - Zhang proposes a solution centered on internal exploration and leveraging the potential of frontline employees, viewing their insights as a valuable resource [4] - He advocates for a culture of innovation where employees are encouraged to experiment and improve processes without fear of criticism for failures [4] - This approach aims to foster a mindset where "everyone can innovate" and "innovation can happen at any time" [4] Core Competitiveness: Building Customer Trust - In a competitive market, the focus should be on core competitiveness rather than size, with the goal of making customers feel more secure than competitors [6] - Haomai Group's core competitive principle is to either shorten manufacturing lead times, ensure product quality, or provide better cost-performance ratios [6] Achievements through Employee Wisdom - Haomai Group has successfully entered over ten sectors and developed multiple "hidden champions" by relying on the collective wisdom of its employees [8] - The workforce has grown from 34 to 30,000 over thirty years, demonstrating the effectiveness of a high-quality development path driven by employee innovation [8]