Life in a Matrix

Global Integration works around the world with major multinationals building the skills they need to manage people in complex, matrixed, virtual and global organizations.
The proportion of our business delivered in Asia has been increasing steadily in recent years but as our consultants were based in Europe and the Americas travel costs could add significantly to [...]

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I came across this summary page yesterday with a whole range of articles on matrix management and matrix organizations.
A mixture of links to pdfs on matrix management and others to academic papers on matrix organizations (some you have to pay for)
Worth checking out isf you are doing some serios research on the topic.
Check out the [...]

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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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This article on how ABB has used shared systems to integrate is various business units illustrates a simple point about coordination within complex businesses.
In a  matrix organization structure a lot of the complexity is caused by multiple reporting lines and the fact that people can be caught between multiple bosses and competing priorities – it [...]

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I came across the following collection of matrix management articles you might find useful.
If you are looking for other links to matrix management articles etc.. try the resources section of our sister site www.global-integration.com where you will find articles, cartoons podcasts and other resources or the matrix resources category on this blog.

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You can find a detailed presentation on the evolution of ABB’s matrix organization structure here.
The presentation shows how ABB’s matrix structure evolved over time and how ABB has reorganized several times in search of the best configuration.
This is a good example of the emphasis placed on structure as a solution to matrix issues. Structure has [...]

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One of the big challenges for French carmaker Renault, which ranks third in the world with Japanese partner Nissan and Russian ally AvtoVAZ, is that it is too complex, chief operating officer Patrick Pelata told the Reuters Automotive Summit. Read more

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Despite the off putting title this is a brief but interesting Business Week debate on the pros and cons of matrix management.
Read the full article Matrix Is the Ladder to Success – multi-dimensional organizational design is the best way to restructure a business. Pro or con?

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We are seeing a number of clients concentrating on building more integrated central functions, Here is an interesting article on different orgnaizations’ experiences in creating a more global marketing organization.
“Paul Polman is the only senior executive to have worked at each of the three biggest consumer-product marketers on Earth in the past five years — [...]

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For serious students of matrix organizations here is a paper that describes some of the early work done on matrix organization at Shell in the 60s up to the 90s – Organization restructuring within Royal Dutch Shell.
Enjoy

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