Leadership in an E-Business Environment

Abstract

Inevitably, the adoption of any new technology brings about change, but e-business is significantly different in that it completely shifts global business into a fast-paced electronic environment. The old notions of management are totally ineffective and a new style, focused on ‘leadership’, is required—but what style of leadership? To determine the most appropriate leadership style, senior managers from the top 250 e-commerce companies in Australia were selected and surveyed. Using a change management matrix, each manager was positioned within this framework. This model consists of a four-by-four matrix encompassing the scales of change and the styles of change management. The model covers the broad spectrum of levels of change that an organisation can go through. The authors found that within the most successful organisations, leaders had a distinctive style that facilitated the appropriate change and established a conducive e-business environment. The data highlights that qualities such as visionary, consultative, ability to listen to others opinions, inclusive, risk taking, approachable, forward thinking, open to change, committed, determined, and the ability to communicate are required in leaders to lead an e-business transition.