B2B companies repeatedly make the same mistakes in people, processes, and technology decisions. The question is whether success requires unconventional approaches that break from established patterns or tried-and-true methods that build on internal expertise and proven structures.
The research on what drives success
Korn Ferry surveyed hundreds of leading B2B companies with successful digital transformations and found that the greatest issues do not come from lack of superior technology. The obstacles are top-down structures, inability to experiment, limited change management capabilities, risk-averse culture, and inability to work across silos.
The research identified four characteristics of successful leaders: a pioneer mentality willing to adapt and take risks, high emotional intelligence to inspire employees, ability to deal with ambiguity, and a preference for challenge over structure. Too often, companies put leaders in charge who lack these characteristics.
On processes, only 45% of B2B companies measure e-commerce based on near real-time metrics. The question is what the other 55% are doing. Monthly planning cycles cannot support the iteration that digital commerce requires.
The debate format
Team Unconventional featured Katherine Monasebian from Stanley Black and Decker, Tim Fabian Besser from German building materials distributor deineBAUSTOFFE, and Alex Graf from Spryker. Team Tried and True included Paul Stubitsch from IBT and Apryl Erickson from HID Global.
Round 1: Sourcing talent for e-commerce
Apryl Erickson argued that complex businesses require internal talent who understand the nuances. Consultants and outside experts take months to ramp up. She shared an example where a CPQ project required extensive knowledge transfer, and product managers complained when they had to repeat the process with new vendors a year later.
Paul Stubitsch agreed that industry-specific knowledge is the hard part. His company brought in subject matter experts for content, search, and marketing, but understanding the nuances of the industry and getting that to surface on the web is where the real work happens.
Tim Fabian Besser argued for external hiring based on three factors: time, opportunity costs, and business model. Teaching motivated people skills that others have developed over years takes too long. If digital revenue streams are core to the future business, you need people with digital expertise.
If the digital aspect of your business is really important, teaching even motivated people a skill within weeks or months where other smart people already have a yearlong learning curve just takes too long.
Tim Fabian Besser, Deina Bosaf
Katherine Monasebian shared her experience as a B2C transplant. The consumerization of B2B is real. E-commerce does not fit the constructs of large manufacturers where precision, long lead times, and efficiency drive operations. The infusion of B2C talent brings the speed and agility that digital requires.
The winning formula has been to get digital ninjas, surround them with the top internal talent, make sure they have the humility to know what made the company great and what they do not know, and the hunger to learn.
Katherine Monasebian, Stanley Black and Decker
The audience voted 52% for external hiring.
Round 2: Processes and reporting structures
Apryl Erickson argued that e-commerce should share developers with IT to avoid rowing boats in different directions. Creating separate teams risks creating a fiefdom rather than alignment.
Tim Fabian Besser disagreed, noting that working on digital products is forward-thinking, customer-centric, and focused on UX. IT work is more internally oriented. His company strictly divided the teams and found it successful because the product team could focus on what mattered to customers.
Katherine Bahamund Monosavian agreed that customer-facing technology is entirely different from back-end systems. The delivery model matters: agile development with MVPs and iteration does not work when business gives requirements to IT and waits a year for delivery. Digital leaders need to manage technology directly.
On physical location, Katherine noted that emerging businesses need time to incubate without antibodies attacking them. Her team is fully virtual, which provides flexibility and access to global talent. April countered that the pandemic taught the value of collocation, though virtual alignment can substitute for physical proximity.
On reporting, Katherine argued that incubating businesses need to report to the CEO with strategic and financial accountability. Once critical mass is achieved, digital proficiency can permeate throughout the company. Paul Stubich reported to an oversight committee that included the CEO.
The audience voted that e-commerce should report through the business side.
Round 3: Technology decisions
Apryl Erickson argued that complex B2B order-to-cash processes require 80% of functionality working well before you can be agile. You cannot get all the way through complex ordering if you do not have critical mass upfront.
Paul Stubitsch agreed, noting that SMB distributors need pre-integrated technology because they lack resources to manage integration of individual tools. That said, if search is not working, they will replace it. The approach is buying largely pre-integrated upfront.
Tim Fabian Besser took the opposite view. E-commerce requires flexibility because you cannot predict what users will do in two to ten years. Traditional RFP processes that take one to two years are far too slow. Open systems with good APIs enable adaptation without massive upfront commitments.
Alex Graf argued that speed is the only common denominator of success in digital projects. The moment you print a thousand-page RFP, it is already outdated. Corporate planning capabilities do not save established companies in digital environments. The only differentiator is adapting faster to market and customer behavior.
You cannot predict market changes or customer behavior anymore. The tools we learned in business administration studies that gave us the impression we can plan everything ahead and mitigate risks are not working anymore in this environment.
Alex Graf, Spryker
The audience voted 52% for temporary or over-time technology purchasing.
The verdict: Unconventional wins, but balance matters
Team Unconventional won all three rounds, though the technology round was nearly tied. The debate revealed several nuances despite the overall verdict.
First, external hiring works best when digital talent is surrounded by internal experts who understand the business. The combination creates a winning formula.
Second, reporting structure matters less than having a seat at the CEO level with real accountability. Whether through business or IT, the key is strategic and financial responsibility.
Third, the minimum viable product for B2B e-commerce requires four elements: B2C-like search and navigation, consumer-grade product display, B2B workflow accommodation, and pricing consistency across channels. Without these basics, launching guarantees failure.
Fourth, speed is the currency that matters most. Companies that cannot experiment, iterate, and adapt faster than competitors will lose share to disruptors who can. The three mistakes are interconnected: wrong people lead to wrong processes which lead to wrong technology choices. Breaking the pattern requires challenging conventional B2B approaches.