The Seven Steps to Nirvana: Strategic Insights into Ebusiness Transformation
Authors: Mohan Sawhney, Jeff Zabin
Venue:  (2001)

:Today's most successful companies never sit still. Even as they introduce their newest e-business initiatives,their next generation of improvements is already near completion. Traditional organizations especially larger,low-tech businesses must reinvent themselves if they are to hold their positions against these new business competitors. The Seven Steps to Nirvana leads managers through the systematic stages needed to transform traditional businesses regardless of their industries into fierce competitors. Combining hard-hitting analyses with case studies of businesses that made the transition,this concrete,practical tour de force opens readers minds to:Essential differences between e-commerce and e-businessThe evolutionary stages of e-business interventionStrategies to overcome inertia and organize for speedWritten by one of BusinessWeek's 25 most influential e-business innovators,The Seven Steps to Nirvana is a trove of innovative techniques for brick-and-mortar businesses to meetand overcomethe challenges of today's faster,nimbler e-upstarts. Insights and Frameworks for Transforming Traditional Bricks-and-Mortar Operations into Fast-Responding,Customer-Centered Companies"This book provides the best roadmap I have seen for harnessing the power of e-business to leverage your company's advantages. Sawhney and Zabin present customer-centered business models for an e-enabled world,a refreshing change from technology-centered books. "&shy;&shy;Philip Kotler S. C. Johnson & Son Distinguished Professor of International Marketing Kellogg Graduate School of Management"In a clear and compellingstyle,Sawhney and Zabin provide a cogent roadmap to navigate the challenging world of e-business without losing sight of the timeless elements of management. "&shy;&shy;Ravi Kalakota,Ph.D. CEO,E-Business Strategies Author,E-Business 2. 0: Roadmap for Success"The Seven Steps to Nirvana is an invaluable compass for enterprises as they chart their course on digital strategy. It stands tall above the hype and confusion surrounding e-business. "&shy;&shy;Melvyn E. Bergstein Chairman and CEO DiamondCluster International"When I took a look at Boeing's interaction costs and discovered that e-enabling the business could save as much as 50 percent,I became an instant believer. Anyone still sitting on the fence ought to read this book. "&shy;&shy;Phil Condit Chairman and CEO The Boeing Company"Mohan Sawhney has provided inspiration to me and my colleagues. This book is written for real managers in real business. "&shy;&shy;Jack M. Greenberg Chairman and CEO McDonald's Corporation"To date,the incursion of e-business skirmishes has been perpetuated for the most part by startups,technology companies,and the so-called early adopters among the Global 2000. But soon&shy;&shy;just as all disruptive innovations tend to experience a lag time to mainstream acceptance&shy;&shy;the real revolution will begin,with the lion's share of low-tech,smokestack businesses finally getting religion! Rather than preach to the converted,this book is targeted to senior managers and leaders of these latter companies. To borrow a phrase from Apple Computer,this book is e-business for the 'rest of us. ' There are no Ciscos and Dells here. . . . In this book,we focus on real people and real businesses in mundane sectors of the economy. . . . For them,this book lays out a systematic approach for exploiting the new possibilities of e-business. "&shy;&shy;From the IntroductionIn the world of e-business,"e" is just the means. "Business" is the end. The fundamentals of business have not changed. Firms still win by creating superior value for their customers and by building superior business architectures. Executives who lose sight of this fact&shy;&shy;whether due to technology,bureaucracy,or the gold-rush mentality&shy;&shy;risk becoming disoriented and even lost. The Seven Steps to Nirvana is a compass for senior executives as they embark on the journey of e-business transformation. Tested before thousands of executives,whose collective insights helped shape its content,this visionary book provides a systematic roadmap for the steps needed to convert large,established companies into fierce,twenty-first-century competitors. Steeped in ancient wisdom,grounded in a powerful array of sense-making frameworks,and brought to life through dozens of real-world examples,The Seven Steps to Nirvana brings clarity and insight to a wide range of strategic issues,including:Understanding the true scope of e-business Defining the evolutionary path for your e-business initiatives Formulating a winning e-business strategy Finding opportunities for leveraging the core business Synchronizing customer touch points and resolving channel conflict The Seven Steps to Nirvana is more than just another "e-business book. " It is,in fact,a strategy book for the new world of business. It shows how to weave technology,strategy,processes,infrastructure,and organizational issues into a rich tapestry to create the businesses of the future. And it reminds us that e-business is ultimately business,by putting customers at the front and center of e-business initiatives. "This book provides the best roadmap I have seen for harnessing the power of e-business to leverage your company's advantages. Sawhney and Zabin present customer-centered business models for an e-enabled world,a refreshing change from technology-centered books. "&shy;&shy;Philip Kotler S. C. Johnson & Son Distinguished Professor of International Marketing Kellogg Graduate School of Management"In a clear and compelling style,Sawhney and Zabin provide a cogent roadmap to navigate the challenging world of e-business without losing sight of the timeless elements of management. "&shy;&shy;Ravi Kalakota,Ph.D. CEO,E- Business Strategies Author,E-Business 2. 0: Roadmap for Success"The Seven Steps to Nirvana is an invaluable compass for enterprises as they chart their course on digital strategy. It stands tall above the hype and confusion surrounding e-business. "&shy;&shy;Melvyn E. Bergstein Chairman and CEO DiamondCluster International"When I took a look at Boeing's interaction costs and discovered that e-enabling the business could save as much as 50 percent,I became an instant believer. Anyone still sitting on the fence ought to read this book. "&shy;&shy;Phil Condit Chairman and CEO The Boeing Company"Mohan Sawhney has provided inspiration to me and my colleagues. This book is written for real managers in real business. "&shy;&shy;Jack M. Greenberg Chairman and CEO McDonald's Corporation"Sawhney and Zabin present an excellent,customer-focused framework for guiding every company's inevitable foray into the world of e-business. The book could become the premier strategic guidebook for planning and managing e-business initiatives within traditional companies. "&shy;&shy;Patrick G. Ryan Chairman and CEO Aon Corporation"Mohan Sawhney has emerged as a true e-business visionary. He and Jeff Zabin have written a must-have book for anyone intent on winning in the changing business environment. . . . It's clear,comprehensive,and compelling. "&shy;&shy;Paula Sneed Group Vice President and President of E-Commerce and Marketing Services Kraft Foods"Sawhney and Zabin illuminate the pathway with the bright and steady light of a customer-centered business model,rather than the flash of the tech revolution. "&shy;&shy;Michael A. Volkema Chairman,President,and CEO Herman Miller,Inc. "After reading The Seven Steps to Nirvana,I now know this is much more than an eBusiness book&shy;&shy;it is an innovative blueprint for all managers confronting the new challenges of the Internet economy from the reality of their existing company. "&shy;&shy;James J. O'Connor Retired Chairman and CEO Unicom Corporation"Using rich metaphors and an engaging style,this book gives wise counsel to established companies on thinking strategically about e-business. The authors shatter many popular misconceptions and myths about e-business,and show how to place customers at the front and center of your e-business strategy. "&shy;&shy;Earnest W. Davenport,Jr. Chairman and CEO Eastman Chemical Company"Seven Steps is at once deeply insightful and immensely practical. It beautifully illustrates,with many real-life examples and lasting images,how to seamlessly blend the 'hard' business issues with the 'soft' people and leadership issues. The wisdom in this book hit me like a ton of clicks!"&shy;&shy;Deepak Sethi Vice President,Executive & Leadership Development The Thomson Corporation