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You find a matrix organization in most companies. Especially the bigger ones.<\/p>\nYou find a matrix organization in most companies. Especially the bigger ones.<\/p>\n
But putting a matrix structure<\/a> to work can be quite a challenge.<\/p>\n Yes, matrix organizations have been around for quite some time. And they can be a smart choice to put your strategy<\/a> to work.<\/p>\n But that doesn\u2019t change the fact that most companies struggle to put their matrix organization to work properly.<\/p>\n \u201cBut isn\u2019t there something that can be done about it?\u201d\u00a0you might ask yourself.<\/p>\n Here are 7 tips to improve your matrix organization.<\/p>\n 1. Want a matrix organization? Set a clear goal.<\/strong><\/p>\n What would you like to achieve with the matrix structure?<\/p>\n A simple question, don\u2019t you agree? But most CEOs fail to answer it.<\/p>\n Yes, most leaders would say things like\u00a0\u201cThis matrix structure enhances our product innovation strategy\u201d\u00a0But that doesn\u2019t cut it.\u00a0 Remember:\u00a0 a matrix organization only adds value when the goals are clearly defined.<\/p>\n Write down what you want to achieve with the matrix organization and get everyone\u2019s buy in. Know what success looks like<\/a>.<\/p>\n 2. Manage politics and conflict early on.<\/strong><\/p>\n Managing a matrix organization requires a focus on the people side. As most people will have a dual reporting line, conflict will be multiple. Don\u2019t wait for them to explode. Tackle them early on. Show people political games are not tolerated.<\/p>\n 3. Change the power balance when needed.<\/strong><\/p>\n New business challenges demand new organizational structures. In a cost-cutting dynamic for example, it\u2019s easier to get quick results if the geography \u2013 country or region \u2013 takes the lead in the organization as opposed to the product lines.<\/p>\n So don\u2019t be afraid to shift the power balance. Take proactive measures.<\/p>\n 4. Discuss the matrix organization with your management team.<\/strong><\/p>\n Whether you are in a corporate role or in the field, whether you are high or low on the hierarchical ladder, whether you like it or not, your job, and those of your team members, are impacted by the matrix organizational structure.<\/p>\n Members of the same team will face the same organizational challenges so it\u2019s worthwhile to put it on your agenda and acknowledge its importance. Put it on the execution agenda and take concrete actions to improve.<\/p>\n 5. Steer projects together.<\/strong><\/p>\n In a matrix organization, people tend to always refer to the other side of the matrix. This doesn\u2019t help.\u00a0 It\u2019s smart to get people from difference organizational units together on crucial projects. Let\u2019 them share the responsibility. It will help build the necessary trust. This will rub off to the day-to-day activities as well.<\/p>\n 6. Remember, it takes time to build relationships.<\/strong><\/p>\n You will probably agree that face-to-face interactions are better for creating good business relationships. Try to reduce the job changes in the head office.<\/p>\n In many organizations, people are already on the move again before the benefits of the newly built relationship kicks in. Don\u2019t make this mistake.<\/p>\n Keep your key people in place until the matrix organizational structure is up and running for at least 1 year.<\/p>\n 7. Matrix structures: learn to live with it!<\/strong><\/p>\n A matrix structure can have enormous benefits for an organization as a whole but it won\u2019t please all people all the time. And it doesn\u2019t help to pretend it will.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can fool some people sometimes but you can\u2019t fool all the people all the time,\u201d\u00a0said Bob Marley.<\/p>\n And they were right. So don\u2019t try to hide the disadvantages of your organizational structure. Recognize them instead. Most people will see them anyway.<\/p>\n Communicate the pros and cons and teach people how to live within the new organizational structure. And make sure you add the following line into your communication:\u00a0a matrix structure is not an excuse not to perform!<\/p>\n A matrix structure is not an excuse not to perform!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You find a matrix organization in most companies. Especially the bigger ones. But putting a matrix structure to work can be quite a challenge. Yes, matrix organizations have been around for quite some time. And they can be a smart choice to put your strategy to work. But that doesn\u2019t change the fact that most… 7 Tips to Improve your Matrix Organization<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":85,"featured_media":2660,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[1143],"class_list":["post-2659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-organization","tag-matrix-organization"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/85"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2659"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2659\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2663,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2659\/revisions\/2663"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Matrix Organization: 7 Tips<\/strong><\/h2>\n