Electronic Business: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications (4-Volumes) P175 pdf

1674 Organisational Challenges of Implementing E-Business in the Public Services As the main supplier of geographical in- formation in Britain, NMA needed not only to LPSOHPHQW WDQJLEOH FXVWRPHU EHQH¿WV DQG WR advance online services, but also to change the organisation’s internal culture to a customer-led one. The prevailing view amongst over 90% of senior executives interviewed was that e-business was not only about electronic service delivery, EXWDOVRWKDW³H´VKRXOGEHFRPHHPEHGGHGLQWKH employees’ ways of working, in terms of approach and attitude: For the future NMA, there is no business but e-busi- ness! We must become a more agile organisation able to respond to our customers and partners needs at “internet-speed.” … The IT technology is the engine room of this change providing the infrastructure, information systems and user sup- port in transforming the organisation. However, if we are to succeed in achieving our strategic aims and becoming an e-business, it is essential that we develop new ways of working. We must improve our day-to-day business practices and ensure that we get the best out of people, knowl- edge, systems and facilities. (Chief Technology 2I¿FHU The process of strategy formulation resulted in a series of 21 investment projects that were J U RX SH GL QW RV W UD W HJ LF L QL W LD WL YH VU HÀ HF W L QJ WKHLU  interconnected nature (Table 2). 3XWWLQJWKHFXVWRPHU¿UVWLQLWLDWLYH involved the adoption of e-business principles and technol- ogy to ensure that each customer and partner is managed at segment and individual levels. In the words of the Initiative Manager: Table 2. Projects under the e-strategy Strategic Initiative Corresponding Projects Putting the FXVWRPHU¿UVW Customer Web sites New Web site for the organisation Customer Relationship Management On-line Service Digital Mapping Strategic alliances Establishment Joined-up government Alliance Extranet The new mapping agency New ways of working and Project Platinum Knowledge management “Help yourself” (personalised online support for all employees) 5DLVLQJWKHUHWXUQDQHZ¿QDQFLDOPRGHO Developing the market Developing the Digital National Geographic Database E-Brands Location-based standards E-Business channels Market Development team Pricing and licensing Enabling infrastructure Enhancing the IT infrastructure Off-site 24/7 availability Enterprise Wide Software Suite (ESS) 1675 Organisational Challenges of Implementing E-Business in the Public Services This initiative is critical because it will allow us to create and deliver more innovative products much faster to our customers. It will allow us to become IDUPRUHHI¿FLHQWDQGFRVWHIIHFWLYHDFURVVDZLGH range of activities. (Initiative Manager, 2001) Customers were offered online access to a wide range of mapping data, product demonstrations to show the versatility of NMA data and tailor- made Web gateways into the mapping agency, each fostering improved, more focused customer service. These gateways included facilities for the online ordering and delivery of existing data products at any time of the day or night or requests for special mapping surveys. Each customer Web VLWHKHOGLQIRUPDWLRQVSHFL¿FWRWKDWFXVWRPHURU partner as well as access to generic information and functionality available to wider groups. By December 2002, the implementation of a portal Web infrastructure environment increased WKHHI¿FLHQF\RISHUVRQDOLVDWLRQDQGFXVWRPLVD- tion provided to customers. In parallel, the NMA Web site was redeveloped to become a gateway for location-based services and information and an enterprisewide software was implemented to allow better customer relationship management. Users of the new Web site were able to access loca- tion-based information and services either directly provided by NMA or indirectly by partners and account holders (customers and partners) could order digital and graphic mapping online. The strategic alliance initiative involved the establishment of a strategic alliance to help drive the location-based information industry forward in a cohesive manner and develop col- laborative working between NMA and other parts of the government with the help of e-business technology. It involved joined-up geography by using NMA data and referencing framework to combine other location-based information from other government bodies, for example, land RZQHUVKLSORFDODXWKRULWLHVDGGUHVVHV¿HOG parcels, and land use. It also marked a change in the way NMA was making available its datasets to users, by enabling partners to commercialise WKLVGDWDRQEHKDOIRI10$LQDPRUHÀH[LEOH way. The initiative manager talks of the overall project as follows: This initiative ensures that our NMA has the right strategic relationships to help grow the geographic information industry. Our organisation holds an important position in the location based informa- tion industry but must work with key players in government and the private sector to realise the vision. (Initiative Manager, 2001) The new mapping agency initiative focused on the people implications of the transformation of NMA into an e-business. The Project Manager states: Whilst each of the other four strategic initiatives GHOLYHUVLQLWVRZQZD\VLJQL¿FDQWFKDQJHWRWKH business, this initiative is the one that touches every single person in NMA. These projects are all closely related to our people and the way we do things. The focus is on simple and more effective ways of working whilst focusing on the needs of the customer. (Initiative Manager, 2001) $SURJUDPPHFDOOHG³1HZ:D\VRI:RUN- ing” addressed issues associated with the current organisational structure, people, culture, com- munication, and the way employees worked. The clear target was to make these elements more streamlined, adaptive, responsive, and customer- driven. This included changing the existing working practices, the implementation of new performance management, and reward systems focused on rewarding performance, changing the way information and knowledge are captured, coordinated, and made readily available within the organisation (knowledge management), and the implementation of a new software which 1676 Organisational Challenges of Implementing E-Business in the Public Services allowed employees to manage their personnel records online whilst also eliminating unneces- sary paperwork, procedures, administration, and costly support functions. The organisation needed new competencies and skills among existing managers, so that they could drive forward the change programme. Cur- rent management capabilities were characterised by excellent technical abilities but poor people management skills, especially in terms of manag- ing change and risk. It was considered that, in order to change the culture of the organisation, leaders and management teams had to develop themselves in readiness to embrace the new challenges and opportunities facing NMA. Therefore, a new SURJUDPPHHQWLWOHG³3URMHFW3ODWLQXP´ZDVGH- signed to help leaders understand how they could LQÀXHQFHWKHFXOWXUHRIWKHRUJDQLVDWLRQLGHQWLI\ the competencies and skills required in leaders, and set in place a programme which could develop the behaviours supporting those competencies. As part of this initiative, a set-piece event—NMA Experience—was organised in December 2001. The event was attended by all the employees and was designed to explain to everyone the new vision and values of the organisation as an attempt to change the strong supportive civil service culture, rich in custom and practice, develop a new culture in line with the new direction of the organisation, and encourage creative and innovative behaviours. 7KHFRUHQHZYDOXHVZHUHLGHQWL¿HGDVFXVWRPHU focused, quick, working together, able to take some risks, interested and excited by challenge, personally accountable, commercially oriented, and rewarded for results. Developing the market initiative involved developing new partnerships and using new chan- nels to reach new customers. In the past, NMA focused on an established core of customers in a relatively mature market with sectors such as central government, local government, and utili- ties. These customers increasingly expected better quality products and services in a market that was becoming more competitive. The organisa- tion needed thus not only to develop the existing PDUNHWVEXWDOVRWR¿QGQHZPDUNHWVDQGZRUN with partners to develop new applications that will SURYLGHEHQH¿WVWRHQGFXVWRPHUV7KLVLQYROYHG adopting a proactive brand strategy, with a focus on digital location-based information and the launch of a new idea of geographic database—Master Map. Innovative in concept, Master Map was not a map in the traditional sense but a digital map framework through which customers could access the precise mapping data they needed. It offered a KLJKOHYHORIÀH[LELOLW\DQGDFRPSOHWHUHIHUHQFH system for Britain’s geographical data. As the programme manager comments: ³7KH LQLWLDWLYH supports customers evolving needs, develops existing markets and opens new opportunities to ensure that NMA is the content provider of choice” (Initiative Manager, 2001). Enabling infrastructure initiative involved building a robust new infrastructure of systems to underpin the e-business. A considerable amount of infrastructure has been put in place to support the whole of the e-strategy but particularly the Master Map idea. The Internet, extranet, and intranet applications were all upgraded and, in R UG H UW RHQ K D QFH FX V W RP HU E HQH ¿W D QG RS H U DW LR Q DO  HI¿FLHQFLHVWKHROGV\VWHPVZHUHUHSODFHGZLWK a single, integrated, enterprisewide software application platform. This integrated software package, called Enterprise-Wide Software Suite (ESS), offered a single repository for all NMA’s data and was implemented in association with technology partners. One of the programme managers expressed a commonly held view: The Enabling Infrastructure provides the foun- dation for the success of the e—Strategy. The application and technical environment that we EXLOGPXVWSURYLGHWKHHI¿FLHQFLHVWKDWDOORZXVWR operate in an increasingly dynamic and delivery focused organisation. Information Technology (IT) provides the infrastructure, information systems and user support in transforming the organisa- tion. Without a robust IT infrastructure none of 1677 Organisational Challenges of Implementing E-Business in the Public Services the e-business activities will be sustainable. To a lesser or greater extent, we have all been frustrated when a system let us down, whether it be our own personal Internet Service Provider or a corporate system. As our business becomes increasingly dependent on IT systems, we have to avoid those frustrating (and potentially damaging) failures, as it is through the Enabling infrastructure initia- tive that we aim to do this. (Programme Manager, Enabling Infrastructure, 2002) IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES Organisational Restructuring In order to successfully implement the e-business strategy, the structure of the organisation was reviewed and reorganised in November 2001. As the CEO summed up the rationale for this strategic initiative: The need for accurate, reliable locational infor- mation underpins so many of the new services coming on stream and in Britain, no one has better locational information than us. … But to stay at the forefront of the geographical industry we must keep pace with the market. That’s why we’re not only investing in e-business initiatives but have already put in place a whole new organisational structure to make it a reality. (Chief Executive, 2001) The realignment of internal group structures and board responsibilities resulted in: • The establishment of two brands busi - nesses, based around distinct customer groups—Digital and Graphic Brands. The two brands’ businesses were focused on introducing new and innovative ways of working with commercial and government partners to meet different customer group needs. Amongst such innovative approaches were the establishment of a joint-venture company with a commercial partner, with the aim of providing consistent and maintained points of interest data for the industry and an estimated £35 million content deal with a mobile phone operator that would allow mo- bile users to access coloured maps featuring real-time displays of various locations. • The creation of a Business Change group that was charged with championing the transformation of the way the organisation did business and in particular managing the implementation of the e-business strategy. Ownership of the Strategy Ownership, accountability, and leadership were essential elements of the successful implementa- tion of the NMA e-business strategy. As change was intended to be transformational and to af- fect all the aspects of the organisation and the levels within it, the entire programme has been top-down driven, with the provision of a clear, sustained direction that was well resourced and coordinated. The instigators of the transformation were the leaders of the organisation and the Strat- egy and Operating Board—including Executive and Nonexecutive Directors—had been heavily involved in the e-business strategy and monitor its implementation. In addition, each strategic initiative had a director-level owner who was ac- FRXQWDEOHWRWKHERDUGIRUGHOLYHULQJWKHEHQH¿WV of that initiative. Full-time initiative managers who focused on coordinating activity within their initiative have been appointed. At project level, business owners have been LGHQWL¿HG ZKRZHUH FKDPSLRQV IRUWKHLU SURM- ects within the implementation. Project owners were responsible for ensuring that their projects GHOLYHUHGWKHEHQH¿WVDQWLFLSDWHGLQWKHVWUDWHJ\ Where IT projects were involved in the delivery, the business owners worked in close conjunction with IT Programme and Project Managers. 1678 Organisational Challenges of Implementing E-Business in the Public Services Risk Management, Change Control, and Financial Monitoring at Appropriate Levels Mechanisms have been implemented to ensure the adequate management of risks, costs, and change control during the implementation. The Operating Board received updates on implemen- tation progress, including costs, on a fortnightly basis with a more detailed review undertaken six-weekly through a business health check exercise. In addition, a weekly implementation steering group (chaired by the Director of Busi- ness Change and including the Initiative Owner Directors) monitored strategic level risks, costs, DQGLPSOHPHQWDWLRQSURJUHVV6LJQL¿FDQWFKDQJHV to project contracts and business cases were ap- proved by initiative owners and reported to the steering group. Furthermore, programme and project boards have been established within each initiative and these dealt with the day-to-day detail of implementation monitoring, cost control, and minor change control. Internal Communication In order to engage all employees in the business transformation associated with the implementa- tion of the e-business strategy, considerable effort has been put into a coordinated programme of internal communication, which included:  )DFHWRIDFHEULH¿QJVZLWKDOOVWDIILQ December 2000 and June 2001, including interactive and multimedia demonstrations of live and prototype systems  )DFHWRIDFH EULH¿QJV RQ TXDUWHUO\ EDVLV ZLWK DOO ¿HOG VWDII IURP 'HFHPEHU  onwards  )RUWQLJKWO\XSGDWH EULH¿QJV DW2SHUDWLQJ Board—cascade briefed by managers to all staff and reported on Intranet • A dynamic intranet site—regularly updated with project aims and progress • Internal branding of the implementation activity to help focus all staff on the busi- ness transformation Further Restructuring In May 2002, a new Human Resources Direc- tor, recruited from the commercial sector, was appointed to drive forward the people side of the change programme. At her initiative, in August 2002, a team of senior managers undertook an HLJKWZHHN UHYLHZ H[HUFLVH HQWLWOHG ³(PHUDOG City”) which involved looking forward to the future and identifying the challenges and oppor- tunities that the organisation was likely to face LQWKUHHWR¿YH\HDUV¶WLPHDQGKRZWKHEXVLQHVV could be driven forward. Following this review, in September 2002, the board announced a further restructuring of the organisation to help develop stronger teams and networks around the core processes (Figure 1) DQGWRFUHDWHDPRUHÀH[LEOHVWUXFWXUHZLWKPRUH ÀH[LEOHSURFHVVHVDQGFRPPXQLFDWLRQSDWWHUQV 7KLVZDVDFFRPSDQLHGE\DUHYLHZRIVWDI¿QJ levels in different functional and subfunctional areas and 300 people were, consequently, re- leased. A consequence of this restructuring was that a number of old divisions and functions were either eliminated or merged, in order to obtain DOHDQHUÀDWWHUVWUXFWXUHDQGLQFUHDVH RYHUDOO HI¿FLHQF\RIWKHEXVLQHVV The proposed new structure involved merging the Digital and Graphic Brands businesses into a single Sales and Market Development Group and creating a separate Programmes and Products Group, each headed by a Director. The Business Change Group activities were absorbed within other parts of the organisation. To give greater integration to corporate communications, the Corporate Communications Department has been integrated into the Human Resources and Corporate Services Group led by the HR Direc- tor. Minimal changes were introduced in the 1679 Organisational Challenges of Implementing E-Business in the Public Services other groups. As a result of these changes, the new structure due to be implemented starting with November 2002 incorporates seven major groups (Figure 2): strategy; human resources and corporate services; ¿QDQFHLQIRUPDWLRQV\VWHPV:HEUHVHDUFKDQG innovation; data collection and management; programmes and products; and sales and market development. The previous structure created in November 2001 in relation to the e-strategy implementation served its purpose of focusing the organisation of work on developing new products and markets and gave an impetus to particular projects. It allowed NMA to strengthen its digital offering and also gave the graphic side of the business the FRQ¿GHQFHDQGVSDFHWR GHYHORS DQGEHWZHHQ them both business groups could identify notable successes. The new structure implemented in September RIIHUHGDPXFKKLJKHUOHYHORIIXQFWLRQDOÀH[- ibility. It gave clarity to the end-to-end processes of the business—from collecting data, through the production processes, and on the supply of data Figure 1. Core business processes in NMA Figure 2. The new organisational structure Data Collection and Management The National Geospatial Database Production and technical product marketing Sales and customer marketing Strategy and International & Government Relations Finance and Procurement Human Resources and Corporate Services Information Systems, Web, Research and Innovation Supported by CEO and management team Strategy Human Resources and Corporate Services Finance Inf. Systems, Web, Research and Innovation Data Collection and Management Programmes and Products Sales and Market Development 1680 Organisational Challenges of Implementing E-Business in the Public Services to partners and customers, whilst allowing the development of stronger cross-functional teams and networks around core processes. The number of hierarchical levels between top management and business groups teams has been substantially reduced and the seven groups have been organised along business processes, giving a lot of opera- tional freedom to Group Managers. This freedom was balanced by a stronger planning process in the organisation, with group teams working with the strategy people on the overall planning. The different cross-functional teams created meant increased horizontal communication be- tween groups as well as vertical between the top management team and group teams, facilitated by the use of modern information technology. The new organisation of work was trying to combine the strengths of a functionally arranged organi- sational structure, offering a better coordination RIWKHFRUHEXVLQHVVSURFHVVZLWKWKHÀH[LELOLWLHV in terms of vertical communication offered by a process-based structure. The transition from the old structure to the new one was a lengthy process. The old structure was effectively being moved to the new structure on a level by level basis. As employees in the positions made redundant under the voluntary redundancy scheme were leaving the organisation, the remain- ing positions were being rearranged in the new VWUXFWXUHDQGVWDIIZHUHQRWL¿HGDERXWWKHQHZ p o s i t i o n s . Tr a n s i t i o n s t r uc t u re s w e r e b e i n g u s e d t o prop up the old structure and keep the day-to-day operations going. The implementation of the new Figure 3. Event chart, e-strategy implementation and follow-up (2000-2004) New CEO (August 2000) New ways of working Project Platinum Emerald City NMA Experience STRATEGY 21 Projects Change Programme E-Strategy (September 2000) (January 2001) - Vision - Values - Int. Comms (December 2001) New HR Director (May 2002) Enterprise Wide Software Suite (ESS) (August 2002) (December 2002) Organisational Change - Reorganisation - New structure (April 2003) New strategy 2005-2008 Focus 4 Years (Presented: September 2004) People Data Delivery Customers 1681 Organisational Challenges of Implementing E-Business in the Public Services VWUXFWXUHZDV¿QDOLVHGLQ$XJXVW In parallel with these structural changes, in order to track and predict customer, market, DQG EUDQG SUR¿WDELOLW\ D &RUSRUDWH %DODQFHG Scorecard with six performance dimensions ¿QDQFLDOSHUIRUPDQFHTXDOLW\RIVHUYLFHÀH[- ibility; competitiveness; resource utilisation; and innovation) has been introduced as a way of consolidating corporate performance measures and focus them upon core strategy components. The aim of introducing the balanced scorecard, in addition to other measurement tools such as customer satisfaction surveys, employee opin- ions, and monthly business health checks, was to provide the management board with the means to monitor the progress of the business on an on- going basis. In addition, the strategy team could liaise better with individual business planners (Business Groups’ Directors) for coordinating business processes across teams and establish integrated performance measures. By December 2004, all the 21 projects com- prising the e-strategy were fully completed and their success benchmarked against their key de- liverables. A new business strategy 2005-2008, focused on how NMA will be meeting customer needs in the next four years, was created, building on some of the success aspects of the previous e-strategy: the creation of better data collection, maintenance and management systems as well as the development of new products and geographic solutions through partnerships with other public and private organisations. An event chart of the 10$³MRXUQH\´LVSUHVHQWHGLQ)LJXUH An overall assessment of the change efforts driven by the e-business implementation between 2000 and 2004 suggests the e-strategy implemen- tation was a success. The progress made towards transforming the way the organisation worked was acknowledged by customers, partners, suppliers, and e-business experts, and employees noticed a marked improvement in their working environ- ment. In addition to this feedback, the e-strategy ZDVDZDUGHG¿YHVWDUVE\WKH*RYHUQPHQW2I¿FH of the E-Envoy in 2004 and this rating indicated that the NMA’s strategy was seen as a success- ful plan of action that has largely been met with key deliverables offering customers and staff QHZEHQH¿WV$QRSHUDWLQJSUR¿WRIPLOOLRQ was forecasted by April 2005 thanks to careful management of costs, growth in revenue, and rigorous prioritisation of investments. LESSONS LEARNED The digital revolution offered huge opportunities for the organisation to improve the services that it provided to its customers, enhance its interaction with partners, and revolutionised the way people ZRUNHG¿UVWE\UHGUDZLQJWKHZD\LQZKLFKWKRVH VHUYLFHVDUHSURYLGHGWRFDSWXUHWKHIXOOEHQH¿WVRI technology and, second, by tailoring the services to the needs of individual citizens, customers, and businesses. Electronic service delivery enabled 10$WREHFRPHIDUPRUHUHVSRQVLYHDQGÀH[- ible, as well as creating the opportunity to harvest VLJQL¿FDQWHI¿FLHQF\EHQH¿WV The steps taken to meet the organisational challenges of implementing the e-business strat- egy across the organisation therefore provide a list of best practices for this particular situation (see Table 3). Several success factors relevant to e-business implementation emerged from this account: First, one major lesson from this experience was that a successful organisational transforma- tion involving e-business implementation requires clear leadership from the top management team. The NMA e-strategy has been created as the strategic blueprint to develop the business and ¿ U P O \S RVLW L RQ LW L QW K HQ HZL Q IR U P DW L RQ HFR QR P\ The strategy was transforming the business at all levels, culturally, technically, and commer- cially. Fundamental to all of this activity was the requirement to create the environment in which NMA could successfully deliver its strategy for the business. This has required the Senior Man- 1682 Organisational Challenges of Implementing E-Business in the Public Services Table 3. Best practices for the implementation of the e-business strategy No. Organisational challenges Steps taken to meet organisational challenges Data from NMA 1 Being ‘halfway’ towards the private sector as a public sector executive agency moving towards a competitive commercial model - Design a strategy that would capitalise on the unique position of the NMA on the market, as the biggest geographical information provider in UK with market-ready cutting-edge technology and high levels of internal capability - Establish strategic alliances to help drive the location-based information industry forward in a cohesive manner - Develop collaborative working between NMA and other parts of the government “ What we needed was a strategy that recognised our unique position. Something that enabled the organisation to have learning and, at the end of the experience, the learning would be resident in the organisation.” (Corporate Strategist, 2001) “Who are our competitors? There is no single competitor for us. Because we are responsible for the national infrastructure of geographical information, there is no single other organisation who could and would want to replicate that, because it is hugely expensive to replicate that”. (Senior manager, 2002) 2 Need to develop and communicate a clear e-business vision and the concept behind the change to the organisation as a whole and to all stakeholders, especially end-users (customers and partners) Communicate the why, where and how of the change to the people involved in the 21 projects and to all employees by using mobilising events such as ‘NMA ([SHULHQFH¶7KLVEXLOGVFRQ¿GHQFHLQ the projects, lets the team know where they stand and where they are headed, and encourage commitment to the cause through the use of various internal communication mechanisms “ The top team and the board decided ‘ Right, this is our new strategy, this is were we are going, and this is our vision. We need to communicate that to everybody” (Project Platinum Manager, 2002) “ The essentials are around being absolutely clear about what it is you are trying to achieve and why – and I don’t just mean the reorganisation. I mean: where do you want to be as a business?”(Senior manager, 2003) “What this event [NMA Experience] really did was to move the senior management up in the eyes of the workforce. It helped them understand that there was skill and ability in our senior team, and they were all committing to doing things in a different way and start leading the business more effectively.” (Project Manager, 2002) 1683 Organisational Challenges of Implementing E-Business in the Public Services Table 3. continued No. Organisational challenges Steps taken to meet organisational challenges Data from NMA 3 Create a feeling of ownership for the e- strategy at project level and a commitment at all levels of the organisation - Get the project leaders and initiative owners involved early in the e-strategy projects. - Communication events important in creating belief and feeling of ownership. “ We put this plan together, represented by a railway journey. It’s a single-track railway, a one- way journey, because we wouldn’t be going back. It didn’t have a starting-point because change has been going on forever, and we couldn’t say if or ZKHQZHZRXOG¿QLVK´&KLHI([HFXWLYH 4 Need new effective communication channels between the project teams and between the Sales and Marketing teams and customers - The project management teams were put in place to develop channels for and manage the communication between the different parties. Weekly, fortnightly and quarterly status meetings help to keep all parties updated on each other’s progress and on the progress of the e- strategy implementation as a whole “ After about three months we had improved the relationship between the project teams and the steering group. The steering group felt more FRPIRUWDEOHDQGPRUHFRQ¿GHQWLQWKHDELOLW\RIWKH teams to deliver” (Director of Business Change, 2002) “Communication forms the grounding for all the organisational work I have done. The communication, consultation and involvement strategy is what will make it happen” (Programme Manager, 2003) 5 Manage different customer segments: retain traditional loyal customers (public sector & utilities) whilst developing emerging markets (telecomm, retail and insurance) and commercial partnerships - From products to relationships: shift from a customer relationship management (CRM) focused on products or processes to a CRM philosophy focused on customer segments and the solutions they require ,GHQWLI\WKHPRVWSUR¿WDEOHFXVWRPHU groups - Focus NMA’s activity entirely on improving core business processes (data collection and management) and involve commercial partners in translating this digital data into business solutions that meet end users’ needs through partnership agreements “ We need partners who would come and help XV¿QGH[SORLWFHUWDLQQLFKHVLQWKHPDUNHWSODFH 7KH\ DUH YHU\ ZHOO ¿QDQFHG ± HJ 0LFURVRIW ELJ mobile operators and by enlarge our strategy is and will be in the future to partner with some of these companies rather than compete with them. So partnership development is an important part of our strategy, previously we worked with small partners, now we are trying to work with bigger ones, to get them develop solutions for us”. (Senior manager, 2002) “ We place the customer rather than the product or process at the centre of the organisation to develop a stronger link between our different groups of customers and our data collection and management side of the business.” (Business Improvement Manager, 2002) . structures and board responsibilities resulted in: • The establishment of two brands busi - nesses, based around distinct customer groups—Digital and Graphic Brands. The two brands’ businesses. structure involved merging the Digital and Graphic Brands businesses into a single Sales and Market Development Group and creating a separate Programmes and Products Group, each headed by a. strategy; human resources and corporate services; ¿QDQFHLQIRUPDWLRQVVWHPV:HEUHVHDUFKDQG innovation; data collection and management; programmes and products; and sales and market development. The