Global distibution of work

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Global distibution of work
Eric Monteiro, NTNU and UiO Oslo, April 2001
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Issues

• cooperation - over large distances
• standardization - necessary, but how?
• quality - for whom?

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Cooperation (I)

• Up till now
• (relatively) small groups
• (relatively) restricted distances
• Codified vs. informal communication
• ex. on/off duty at hospitals

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Cooperation (II)

• Additional work - equal distribution?
• Who does the extra work?
• Who gets the benefits?
• Ex. calenders (J. Grudin, 1994)
• Ex. Experience transfer in Statoil

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Standardization (I)

• Imposed - emergent ?
• Ex. ISO vs. Internet
• Irreversibility?
• Ex. QWERTY
• Key dilemma

Keep stable
Change
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Standardization (II)

• Logic of positive network externalities

installed base
complementary products
benefits
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Quality (I)

• Service work / production work
• uniformity - predictability
• customers perception of quality?

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Dilemma of quality
Uniformity of output, a major goal of
routinization, seems to be a poor strategy for
maintaining quality control in interactive
service work, since consumers often perceive
rigid uniformity as incompatible with quality
(Leidner, 199330)