Matrix Management

Arellano University Master of Arts in Nursing Administration & Management

Submitted by: Michael Janrick G. ivera N Submitted to: Salome !alao N" MAN Submitted on: !ecember #" $%&$

I. Introduction Matri' management is a ty(e of organi)ational management in *hich (eo(le *ith similar skills are (ooled for *ork assignments (Galbraith, J.R. et al.,1971). A style of management *here an individual has t*o re(orting su(eriors " one functional and one o(erational (F. John Reh). +t is a techni,ue of managing an organi)ation through a series of dual-re(orting relationshi(s instead of a more traditional linear management structure. +n contrast to most other organi)ational structures" *hich arrange managers and em(loyees by function or (roduct" matri' management combines functional and (roduct de(artments in a dual authority system. +n its sim(lest form" a matri' configuration may be kno*n as a cross-functional *ork team" *hich brings together individuals *ho re(ort to different (arts of the com(any in order to com(lete a (articular (ro.ect or task. /he (ractice is most associated *ith highly collaborative and com(le' (ro.ects" such as building aircraft" but is also *idely used in many (ro.ect management situations. 0ven *hen a com(any does not label its structure a matri' system or re(resent it as such on an organi)ation chart" there may be an im(licit matri' structure any time em(loyees are grou(ed into *ork teams that are headed by someone other than their (rimary su(ervisor. II. Main Body Matri' management is not a ne* conce(t. Since the &12%3s organi)ations have kno*n that there *as a need to find ne* *ays of handling the cross-functional or hori)ontal needs in a vertically aligned organi)ation. /hey assumed that in order to get *ork done you needed authority and control and so the dual-re(orting structure *as created that assigned one (erson to t*o bosses *ho could e'ercise authority over him. /his *as the *rong solution to a real (roblem and as a result" the old matri' management fell into disfavor in the &1#%3s. /he old matri' management maintained the central idea that authority *as needed to get things done and continued to focus on the vertical dimension 4 the dimension of re(orting relationshi(s. Matri' management structures combine functional and (roduct de(artmentali)ation. /hey simultaneously organi)e (art of a com(any along (roduct or (ro.ect lines and (art of it around functional lines to get the advantages of both. /heoretically" managers of (ro.ect grou(s and managers of functional grou(s have roughly e,ual authority *ithin the com(any. As indicated by the matri'" many em(loyees re(ort to at least t*o managers. 5or 0'am(le: 5or a matri' management style of organi)ation to be effective" the functional and o(erational managers must have e,ual *eight in controlling the individuals. All engineers may be in one engineering de(artment and re(ort to an engineering manager" but these same engineers may be assigned to different (ro.ects and re(ort to a different engineering manager or a (ro.ect manager *hile *orking on that (ro.ect. /herefore" each engineer may have to *ork under several managers to get their .ob done.

Although all matri' structures entail some form of dual authority and multidisci(linary grou(ing" there are several variations. 5or e'am(le" Managers identified three basic matri' management models: coordination" overlay" and secondment. 0ach of the models can be im(lemented in various forms that differ in attributes related to decision-making roles" relationshi(s *ith outside su((liers and buyers" and other factors. 6rgani)ations choose different models based on such factors as com(etitive environments" industries" education and maturity level of the *orkforce" and e'isting cor(orate culture. /he advantages of a matri' include: +ndividuals can be chosen according to the needs of the (ro.ect. /he use of a (ro.ect team that is dynamic and able to vie* (roblems in a different *ay as s(ecialists have been brought together in a ne* environment. 7ro.ect managers are directly res(onsible for com(leting the (ro.ect *ithin a s(ecific deadline and budget. /he disadvantages of matri' include: A conflict of loyalty bet*een line managers and (ro.ect managers over the allocation of resources. 7ro.ects can be difficult to monitor if teams have a lot of inde(endence. 8osts can be increased if more managers 9i.e. (ro.ect managers: are created through the use of (ro.ect teams. Matri' management should not be confused *ith ;tight matri';. /ight matri'" or co-location" refers to locating offices for a (ro.ect team in the same room" regardless of management structure. III. Summary /he first thing to reali)e is that it is the individual resource doing the *ork *ho has to manage the trade-offs. +f you have three bosses" all *ith com(eting demands the reality is that you are the one *ho really decides (recisely ho* much effort and attention each strand of *ork receives. Managers in this situation cannot .ust fall back on traditional line control or the fact that a certain level of effort has been agreed *ith the individual3s line manager. 0ffective influence in a matri' de(ends on three things< Understanding *hat the individual values" Understanding *hat you have to offer and Understanding your sources of (o*er. Not everyone finds this comfortable. =e meet many managers *ho bemoan the loss of traditional (o*er and authority and s(end a lot of time fighting to get back the sense of control they had in the (ast. =e also meet individuals *ho feel uncomfortable at the (ressure they are under to serve multi(lebosses.

IV. References Galbraith" J. . 9&12&:. "Matrix Organization Designs: o! to "o#bine $%n"tional an& 'ro(e"t $or#s". +n: )%siness orizons" $1->%. J She(herd 9$%%2:. "Mentoring *o$t )o%n&aries $or Manage#ent", M+D,* MDF 21-#1 ?urton" ichard M." and ?%rge 6bel 9&11#:. *trategi" Organizational Diagnosis an& Design. -n& e&. )oston: .l%!er ,"a&e#i" /%blishers, 5. John eh retrieved at htt':00#anage#ent.abo%t."o#0o&0'ro(e"t#anage#ent0g0MatrixManage#en.ht#