Do you know which the case study below comes from ? And how can I get the book ?
CASE APPLICATION 2 They're individuals you might never have thought of as being part of an organiza- tion's structure, but for many organizations, volunteers provide a much-needed source of labor."M Maybe you've volunteered at a Habitat for Humanity build, a homeless shelter, or some nonprot organization. However, what if the volunteer assignment was at a for-prot business and the job description read like this: \"Spend a few hours a day at your computer, supplying answers online to customer questions about tech- nical matters like how to set up an Internet home network or how to program a new high-denition television,\" all for no pay. Many large corporations, start-up compa- nies, and venture capitalists are betting that this \"emerging corps of Web-savvy help- ers will transform the eld of customer service.\" Self check-outs. Self check-ins. Self order-placing. Pumping your own gas (although most of you are probably too young to remember having an attendant that pumped your gas, checked your oil, and washed your windshield). Filling out online forms. Businesses have become very good at getting customers to do free work. Now, they're taking the concept even further, especially in customer service settings, by get- ting \"volunteers\" to perform specializled work tasks. The role that these volunteer \"enthusiasts\" have played, especially in contribut- ing innovations to research and development efforts, has been closely researched in recent years For example, case studies highlight the product tweaks made by early skateboarders and mountain bikers to their gear. Researchers have also studied the programmers behind open-source software like the Linux operating system. It seems that individuals who do this type of \"volunteering\" are motivated mainly by a payoff in enjoyment and respect among their peers and to some extent the skills they're able to develop. Now, as the concept of individuals volunteering for work tasks moves to the realm of customer service, can it work and what does it mean for managers? For instance, at Verizon's high-speed fiber optic Internet, television, and tele- phone service, \"volunteers\" are answering customer questions about technical mat- ters on a company-sponsored customer-service Web site for no pay. Mark Studness, director of Verizon's e-commerce unit, was familiar with sites where users offered tips and answered questions. His challenge? Find a way to use that potential resource for customer service. His solution? \"Super,\" or lead, usersithat is, users who provided the best answers and dialogue in Web forums. Chapter 11 Designing Organizational StructureAdaptive Designs 367 The experiment at Verizon seems to be working well and these online \"volunteers\" can be an important addition to a company's customer service efforts. Studness says that creating an atmosphere that these super users nd desirable is a key consider- ation because without that, you have nothing. A company that worked with Verizon to set up its structure said that these super or lead users are driven by the same online challenges and aspects as fervent gamers are. So they set up the structure with an elaborate rating system for contributors with ranks, badges, and \"kudos counts.\" So far, Studness is happy with how it's gone. He says the company-sponsored customer- service site has been extremely useful and cost e'icient in redirecting thousands of questions that would have been answered by staff at a Verizon call center. 0 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 11-18. What do you think about using \"volunteers\" to do work that other people get paid to do? 11-19. If you were in Mark Studness's position, what would you be most concerned about in this arrangement? How would you \"manage\" that concern? 11-20. How do these \"volunteers\" fit into an organization's structure? Take each of the six elements of organizational design (see Chapter 10, pages 3217332) and discuss how each would affect this structural approach. 11-21. Do you think this approach could work for other types of work being done or in other types of organizations? Explain
