Matrix Organizations

Hello and welcome to my blog—PMGT 611- Anatomy of Project Organizations. As part of my Master’s coursework at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, I am tasked to analysis different project management lessons and/or scenarios. Each time I learn valuable lessons while gaining a little insight into myself.

This leads us into this week’s discussion topic: Matrix Organizations.  From the course textbook, I was given this scenario:

"You work as an analyst in the marketing department for Springfield International (SI). SI uses a weak matrix to develop new services. Management has created an extremely competitive organizational culture that places an emphasis upon achieving results above everything else. One of the project managers that you have been assigned to help has been pressuring you to make his project your number one priority. He also wants you to expand the scope of your work on his project beyond what your marketing manager believes is necessary or appropriate. The project manager is widely perceived as a rising star within SI. Up to now you have been resisting the project manager's pressure and complying with your marketing manager's directives. However, your most recent interchange with the project manager ended by his saying, 'I'm not happy with the level of help I am getting from you and I will remember this when I become VP of Marketing." (Larson & Gray, 2014 pg. 91-92)

How would you respond and why? Share a personal project management experience you have had working in a matrix type organization. If you do not have that type of experience, share a related experience.

First, let us define a weak matrix structure. A weak matrix structure is a structure “in which functional managers have primary control over project activities and the project manager coordinates project work” (Larson & Gray, 2014 pg. 666). The most important words in the definition are “primary control” and “coordinates”. The functional manager has primary control, which means functional managers are the boss. Project managers “works as staff assistant and communications coordinator” (Project Management Institute, 2013 pg. 23). See Figure 1 for a depiction of a weak matrix structure.

Figure 1 Weak Matrix Structure

Referring back to the scenario presented above, Springfield International (SI) is a weak matrix structure with me as an employee. I work for a functional manager and also assist a project manager. This project manager, a raising superstar in the organization, is pressuring me to elevate his project’s priority and tasking me to expand my scope work. These directives contradict the functional manager’s directions. Furthermore, the project manager, in poor leadership style, threatened me by saying he would remember my level of help when he became VP of Marketing. This places me, the superstar employee (it’s my scenario, so I can decide whether I am awesome or not! J), in the middle of both the functional manager and project manager. This is an example of a weak matrix structure disadvantage; poor project integration (Larson & Gray, 2014). How do I respond?

My outlook about work performance is all about what is good for the organization, not individual careers. To me, the project manager is displaying poor leadership. “Leadership is the influencing process of leaders and followers to achieve organizational objectives through change” (Lussier & Achua, 2013 pg. 6). Influencing others is not threatening others. “Influencing is the process of a leader communicating ideas, gaining acceptance of them, and motivating followers to support and implement the ideas through change” (Lussier & Achua, 2013 pg. 7).  Armed with this knowledge, here is how I would handle the situation of being stuck in the middle.

First, I would analyze the additional scope work and see if this was good for the organization. If, in my opinion, the extra work was worth it, I would have a conversion with my functional manager and discuss the benefits. By influencing and gaining acceptance, I would be able to implement the work needed for the project. If the extra scope work was merely a ploy to make the project manager look good but offered no organizational benefits, I would refuse.

Now, as for the project manager, I would set an appointment to discuss his leadership style (or lack thereof) and offer my guidance on interpersonal skills. Whether I give additional support to the project or not, I would have this conversation with the project manager so he could possibly see the error of mistreating individuals. Believe me, if the project manager is trying to bully me, he is using this tactic on others as well. 

I suggest this approach based on experience. In the military, there are often multiple supervisors which give conflicting orders. In one such event, I was tasked with performing a task from an outside agency but still fell in my chain-of-command. My immediate supervisor counteracted the order. I was stuck in the middle since the two supervisors would not work out the details among themselves. I tackled the situation by analyzing the order and decided it was in the best interest of the organization to help. After completing the task (and before the butt-chewing time), I set appointments with both supervisors to voice my displeasure in being put in such a position. Because I was junior in rank, my leadership suggestions were dismissed and I was told to leave. Consequently, I was never given credit for the completed task and, instead, received a verbal reprimand from my immediate supervisor.

The outcome of the situation may not have been ideal. However, I do not regret my actions. As history as proven, I am a far better leader and actually learned many of my techniques by watching the mistakes of others (such as the two in this story). Ironically, both supervisors later retired under less-than-honorable conditions.

Damien

References

Collet, B. (2011). Effective project management in a weak matrix structure. Retrieved from http://www.brunocollet.com/2011/06/how-can-project-management-contribute.html

Larson, E. W., & Gray, C. F. (2014). Project management: The managerial process (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.

Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. F. (2013). Leadership: Theory, application, & skill development (5th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage/Thomson South-Western.

Project Management Institute. (2013). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide) (5th ed.). Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute, Inc.