Companies were trying to roll out customized extranets every time they rolled out a new one, it cost a million bucks. Such a company responds to its bigger customers first, Palmer explains, but its smaller customers have the same demands as the larger, better-financed ones. It's not worth a million bucks each to do it. But you have to, if you want to retain those people. If the needs of this new, evolving marketplace could be boiled down to one word, that word would be speed.
Most companies take two weeks.
This changes the way the organization functions. When I put in a sales promotion, I don't have to wait for two weeks to see if it's making any sense. It's a new form of leadership very approachable, open, trusting and it thrives on making decisions at Internet speed. The effects of such a management style are felt throughout a company. I view information technology as the fuel that's been added to the gasoline drum.