These new networking models—featured in Thomas Friedman’s (2005) description of the emerging “flat world”—are not without organizational structure; rather, the structure is highly sophisticated and fluid. Organizational coaches and consultants can certainly help someone (or more often, a cluster of people) within the organizational underground to create a hollow organization. At the very least, the coach and consultant can assist their client in gaining access to an existing hollow organization.

A second kind of organizational structure, based on innovative collaboration, is commonly found (though often unacknowledged) in our increasingly flat world. This is the virtual organization. Unlike the hollow organization, virtual organizations usually require administrative support; however, unlike the hollow organization which usually is long-lived, the virtual organization is a short-term phenomenon. A need is identified and then men and women with many different skills and areas of expertise come together to meet this need. A construction project may be the most obvious (or at least the most visible) manifestation of the virtual organization. Architects, lawyers, accountants, engineers, construction workers, landscapers and many other people come together to build a new high-rise or mall, usually under the administrative control of a construction supervisor. Motion pictures are now primarily produced by one-time, virtual organizations (rather than by Hollywood studios). This virtual structure is evident in the long list of producers, technical experts and supporting staff that roll out at the end of most contemporary movies. Many consulting firms operate in a similar manner. No “firm” actually exists. Rather, one consultant gets the call or can provide specific knowledge or expertise. This person becomes the “lead” consultant, with other colleagues being brought in on an as-needed basis.

The hollow and virtual organizational structures come in many forms and there are many other innovative organizational structures that build on various forms of collaboration. An organizational coach/consultant becomes an organizational architect, or at least an architectural advisor, who brings informed questions and appropriate expertise to the task of designing and implementing an innovative structure that serves the organizational underground. As an organizational architect, the coach/consultant helps people identify and build new forms of collaboration, thus offering hope and a sense of empowerment for these members of the organizational underground. What about Susan? Could Susan’s coach help her form a collaborative enterprise? What about creation of a virtual organization—a collective advertising group? Rather than viewing other out-of-work colleagues as competitors, couldn’t Susan invite them to join her in the formation of a new advertising network? Could this network provide opportunities for employment (enabling professionals like Susan to work on both small and large projects) as well as some health and retirement benefits (members of the network negotiating as a collective for better rates)?