As a global pharmaceutical company, Pfizer is continually looking for ways to help employees be more efficient and effective. The average Pfizer employee was spending 20 percent to 40 percent of his or her time on support work (creating documents, typing notes, doing research, manipulating data, scheduling meetings) and only 60 percent to 80 percent on knowledge work (strategy, innovation, networking, collaborating, critical thinking). As a solution, PfizerWorks allows employees to shift tedious and time-consuming tasks with the click of a single button on their computer desktop. They describe what they need on an online form, which is then sent to one of two Indian service-outsourcing firms.
1. Describe and evaluate what Pfizer is doing with its PfizerWorks.
2. We’ve defined managers as those individuals in an organization who direct and oversee the activities of other people in the organization. What challenges might there be for managers when those “people” are halfway around the world? How might the four management functions be useful in dealing with those challenges? What skills would managers need to be able to function effectively in this type of arrangement?
3. Do you think that PfizerWorks would work for someone who’s a first-line manager? Why or why not?
4. Do you think this arrangement would work for other types of organizations? Why or why not? What types of organizations might it work for?