Life in a Matrix

Successful companies grow and become more complex, they have complex products and complex, matrix and virtual organization structures.
These more connected organizations are necessary to success but those connections can also cause delay, cost and dissatisfaction.
In this video Kevan Hall asks “are companies too connected to be effective?”

If you agree you might also enjoy our podcast [...]

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This video, from our YouTube channel MyGlobalIntegration is about the first of three key tools we use on our tools for cross-cultural success training program – The Onion model

If you found this useful, look out for the next 2 culture tools videos – the abacus and the 5 choices tool.
Find out more about our cross [...]

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An interesting insight came up in discussion with one of our clients recently about the role of central functions and business units in a matrix organisation.
A very experienced manager mentioned that he felt that part of the challenge was that central functions played two roles.  Sometimes they were standard setters and sometimes they were service [...]

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Regular business travel is rarely the glamorous experience that non-travellers imagine. Many of us have returned from a sweaty, delayed, frustrating trip to work long hours and go for dinner with strangers to hear our colleagues say “Oh you went to Berlin – how lovely”.
But in recent years and months a combination of intrusive  security, [...]

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It’s amazing what Google alerts throws up.  Apparently the Vulcan Kolinahr Fleet is organized on matrix management principles.
Conclusive proof that the matrix is the organizational form of the future.  I am sure a strict logic based approach to matrix management is a help. In the photo you can see Mr Spock clearly indicating the dual [...]

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Here is a useful blog post about Microsoft’s approach to managing a communication and PR function operating in a  complex matrixed environment.
The article offers some ideas on use of different technologies and some insights into managing a complex communications function in a complex organization.
Read the rest of the article Managing communication and reducing overload in [...]

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Managing the relationship between HQ and local operations is always an area with the potential for problems. HQ and local people have different roles and sometimes competing priorities and perspectives.
In a tough economy there is a tendency for central control to increase which can place the HQ & local relationship under even more pressure and [...]

 Managing the HQ & Local relationship [13:16m]: Download

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We are getting a lot of searches coming to the blog looking for a matrix management presentation.  Several are browsing the catogiries but not finding the specific materials that may be of most help in building a matrix management presentation.
Have a look at the matrix management presentation on our sister site Global Integration. It covers [...]

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As regular readers will know I am no fan of multitasking.  I think it is a word we created to make us feel good about being disorganised.  You can see previous posts on constant interruptions here.
But here is another reason that multitasking can be bad for your effectiveness.  I have been reading a book called [...]

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A Sunday Times article this weekend caught my attention. According to the authors of a new book iBrain – using the internet  is changing the way the human brain works – people are becoming better at making snap decisions and filtering large amounts of information (which may be valuable in working in a complex, connected [...]

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