ONE SIMPLE STRATEGY TO ORGANIZE YOUR ONLINE BUSINESS
By: Abe Cherian
Recently
a survey showed that most online businesses are not organized. In fact many
organizations throw up an expensive web site using all the latest "bells
and whistles" only to find it a generally unsatisfying
experience.
Apart from the technical vs. sales and marketing issues of the web site itself many organizations both in terms of appropriate organizational behaviors as well as of effective organizational designs has been sadly neglected by many established retailers.
You may have a business site with dedicated staff and webmaster, yet it is poorly integrated within your parent organization and tasked with ill defined roles. A simple question needs to be asked. Do you have a central internet group (CIG) directed by a chief Web officer and composed of dedicated staff for each business function?
If
not then depending upon your organizations size and abilities you need to
implement a CIG or outsource those functions.
Typically, many conventional retailers have acquired organizational habits
that are not well aligned to the needs of e-Commerce. It should be noted that
four undesirable traits or behaviors found in many organizations must be guarded
against.You might find that increasing complexity in your company has resulted
in inflexibility and slow decision making processes. There is also a tendency
towards internal conflict and stratification as well as a leadership that
would tend to emphasize capital investment as a solution to all problems.
The movement towards centralized control, which characterizes a typical consumer
goods business, will carry with it limited coordination among your departments
and divisions resulting in a weakened sense of market trends and increased
dissatisfaction.These features are in direct conflict with what you should
know about the cultural characteristics of pure successful e-businesses. An
e-business is predominantly a flat organization with quick decision making
where risk taking is encouraged and failure is merely education.Employees
tend to work long hours at the office by choice
and are very self disciplined. Typically such companies use guiding principles
rather than procedures and tend to lead by example. When
these two types of cultural environment are brought together, unexpected and
perhaps dysfunctional behaviors must be expected to emerge. Given the cultural
and organizational differences between "new" and "old"
economy businesses, the way in which you as an established retailer should
set up and manage Internet operations is therefore extremely important.
One factor to consider is that small businesses are more flexible organizationally. You should consider that ecommerce has provided greater "e-quality" for smaller businesses in relation to their larger competitors.
You
will need an increased willingness to seek appropriate alliances and partnerships,
plus consider organizational
designs, company spin-offs, etc., that will provide convergence to the integrated
business model required to overcome these mismatches in culture and outlook.
The
many advantages derived from the Internet must be exploited both within and
between existing sectors of your
bricks and mortar business. With the ways in which networked organizations
are evolving, it should be realized
that only those retaining an Internet culture in a parallel or centralized
Internet group (CIG) style of operation
closely identified with the eCommerce aspects of a business's overall objectives
will be successful.
About
The Author
Abe Cherian is the founder of Multiple Stream Media, a company that helps
online businesses find new
prospects and clients, who are anxious to grow their business fast, and without
spending a fortune
in marketing and automation. http://www.multiplestreammktg.com/