Companies are not helping staff deal with the changes coming from e-biz initiatives, and not viewing it as an important component of their success. And it isn't just the staff that needs to be carefully managed. A company needs to think about its distributors, wholesalers and other business partners. A survey last year on the opportunity to reinvent the supply chain by Economist magazine and Meritus Consulting found that keeping staff informed can be a big problem. E-biz isn't like a mushroom that will flourish in the dark.
Communication is critical.
One company I worked with established an e-biz team, and sent it off to work in secrecy. The office rumours reached a feverish pitch, almost dooming the effort from the start since so many wild ideas were springing up. One of the first things that an organization should do is educate staff and partners as to the reason for the initiative. They need detailed guidance on how things are going to unfold, and what they can expect each step of the way. Companies also must deal with the issue of suspicion among employees, who might fear that the intent of an e-business initiative is to put them out of a job.