The Ten Deadly mistakes of Wanna-Dots written written by Rosabeth Moss Kanter.

There are two types of companies in the world. First one is dot-coms which are born on online

world and the other one is wanna-dots which are existing organizations that want to carry

their businesses online. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the ten common

significant mistakes the wanna-dots make during entering the internet world. They resist

making big changes because they are already the industry leaders on the offline world.

However, changing is the most ultimate step for not only going online but also improving the

businesses.

As to summarize, the first mistake that the organizations make at the transforming process is

the lack of focus by management and others because the most important thing in this process

it to have a plan and purpose. However, the resistance for change does not let them to be

focus on the process. The second common mistake is not recruiting or transferring the right

people at the right time. They charge people who have already millions of work and they wait

from them to be divided into 100 but in employees’ point of view this means that the project

is not so important. Therefore, failure waits for them at the door unless they focus with the

right people that responsible from only web issues. Moreover, the third mistake is to

oversimplify things. Once they have the web site, they suppose that they rule on the online

world.

Mistake Number 3: Oversimplification.

For a portal to make a difference and be worthwhile, it cannot just be the simplest and
least demanding thing you can do on the web.15 Those involved must make sure that the
portal implementation, and the planning leading up to it, takes into account that this is the
future. Do not take the easy way out unless all other avenues have been examined.
Skepticism by those who will use the portal should be met with a “killer app” that will change
processes and thinking. This type of tool is not a step backwards; it is a giant leap forward
and should be treated as such.
3.4 Mistake Number 4: Inappropriate and unfamiliar vendors.
The point made in the previous paragraph does not mean changing direction of the
company. By no means does a “killer app” have to come from the outside either. The choice
of a single vender, Plumtree, is a good move; it will create a cohesive portal system. Any
implementation should include individuals from within the division or product/process
centers. It is important to include what is needed and what will be most useful to the users.
With to much outside input the project could end up with an aesthetically pleasing tool with
lots of bells and whistles but no productive value to the actual users.

Increasingly, it seems, there are just two types of companies left in the world: dot-coms, born on the Internet, and

"wanna-dots," established organizations that are seeking to incorporate the Internet into their businesses. Some

wanna-dots manage the deep mind-shift required to cross the digital divide. These are the pacesetters--the first

movers and fast followers that exhibit organizational curiosity and the desire to innovate. But most wanna-dots are

laggards; they don't rise to the challenge with the same resolve. In a global research effort involving more than

800 companies, the author uncovered so many wanna-dots making the same kinds of mistakes that it almost

seemed they were following a How Not to Change guide. In this article, Kanter creates just such a guide, offering

ten pieces of antiadvice that expose the tendency of wanna-dots to make only cosmetic changes when deep

transformation is required. Beyond delineating what not to do, Kanter serves up two examples of wanna-dots that

got it right. First, Williams-Sonoma, which successfully made up for a slow start to create a strong Web presence.

Second, Honeywell, a pacesetter led by e-believers from the start, which still found the road to the Web a

challenging one. For companies not born digital, the fundamental problem is change. And the real place to look

for change is not on the Internet but inside your company--at your own organizational culture and your attitude

toward change.

The article asserts that the dot-coms, of course, are the pure Internet companies

operating on-line businesses. The wanna-dots are already-established organizations,

many of them industry leaders in the off-line world, seeking to incorporate the Internet

into their businesses. They resent being dismissed as "not-Internet"—off-line, land-

based, or at best "clicks and mortar"—and are desperately trying to get on the dot-com

bandwagon. Some are getting there a lot faster than others. There are ten proven ways

to avoid deep change that are discussed in this article. One should sprinkle Internet

responsibilities throughout the company and form a committee to create a new corporate

Internet offering, One has to make sure what he does on the Web is exactly the same as
what he does off-line. Under the banner of decentralization and business unit autonomy,

one has to reward each unit for its own performance, and offer no extra incentives to

cooperate in cyberspace. Again a company has to compare the performance with the

traditional industry competitors in the physical world. Further the article affirms that the

Internet is an opportunity to communicate with others.