[Toronto, CANADA] Canadian companies are more likely to experience problems managing
the e-business effort, while U.S. companies are finding it more difficult to recruit e-business
talent, according to a recent study by Hewitt Associates.
Results from the survey of more than 130 North American companies show
that almost two-thirds of Canadian and U.S. respondents believe their e-business
activities are behind non-traditional competitors, such as dot.coms — and
both countries cite people as one of the main reasons.
Sixty-two percent of the Canadian companies and 61 percent of the U.S. companies said
people are among their top challenges to achieving e-business success, with organizational
commitment cited at about the same rate.
But a closer look reveals differences between Canadian and American
companies.
While “finding talent for e-business activities” ranks in the top 3, people-related challenges
for 40 percent of U.S. companies, only 13 percent of Canadian companies agree.
Fifty-six percent of the Canadian respondents say their big problem is “managing who’s
governing the e-business efforts and how.” Only 33 percent of U.S. companies agree.
Twenty-six percent of companies in both countries report that keeping e-business talent
ranks as one of their top three people-related challenges.
“Motivating and engaging employees is consistently important across any border in any
industry,” said Roger Duguay, responsible for Hewitt’s e-business strategy in Canada.
“This is particularly true in the case of companies trying to transform into e-businesses. It’s
crucial for an organization to align its culture with its e-business environment for employees to
remain engaged.”
Hewitt Associates is a global management consulting firm specializing in
human resource solutions. With 1999 revenues of nearly US $1.1 billion, the
firm is ranked among the Top 200 of Forbes magazine’s listing of the largest
private companies.
Copies of the survey findings are available from Linda
Bellario at Hewitt Associates.