Joined at the Bit: The Emergence of the E-Business Community

Throughout history, new information technologies have enabled
and stimulated new organizational forms. With the emergence
of the World Wide Web, a totally new business environment is
emerging.

As competition intensifies, innovation cannot be attained solely within the integrated industrial enterprise, or even the so-called virtual corporation. Rather, companies must work together to create online networks of customers, suppliers, and value-added processes. The result is what we call the e-business community, or EBC.

We define EBCs as networks of suppliers, distributors, commerce
providers, and customers that use the Internet and other
electronic media as platforms for collaboration and competition.

The question is not whether e-business communities are upon
us, but how to develop strategies that capitalize on this new formation. EBCs are transforming the rules of competition, inventing new value propositions, and mobilizing people and resources to unprecedented levels of performance. Firms must learn to co-evolve with partners to create favorable conditions for all players. The new game is about leading a community for mutually beneficial longterm relationships with cosuppliers and customers.

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