A01 chaf6542 06 se fm indd

Chapter 10  Change management

Although this is presented as a stage model with evolution implying all 

companies will move from one stage to the next, many companies will 

find that true formalisation with the creation of a separate e‑commerce 

or digital business department is unnecessary. For small and medium 

companies with a marketing department numbering a few people and 

an IT department perhaps consisting of two people, it will not be practi‑

cal to have a separate group. Even large companies may find it is suffi‑

cient to have a single person or small team responsible for e‑commerce 

with their role being to coordinate the different activities within the company using a matrix 

management approach.

Activity 10.3 reviews different types of organisational structures for e‑commerce. 

Table 10.4 reviews some of the advantages and disadvantages of each.