Tip: Let Standard Users Override KMS and Enter MAK Keys

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An administrator can create a registry key that allows a standard user (meaning a user who is not an administrator) to apply a MAK key and activate an Office 2010 application. This means that a standard user can switch a KMS client to MAK activation, manually activate the computer, and, if necessary, replace an existing MAK with a new MAK key.

By default, all volume license editions of Office 2010 disable this behavior. To enable this behavior, simply add the following line to the Config.xml file:
<Setting Id="USEROPERATIONS" Value="1" />

Or, you can set the following registry key to enable or disable standard user (a user who is not an administrator) activation:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\OfficeSoftwareProtectionPlatform]

Enable Standard User Activation: "UserOperations"=dword:00000001
Disable Standard User Activation: "UserOperations"=dword:00000000 (Office 2010 volume license products default setting)

From the Office 2010 Resource Kit.