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The Matrix Organisation - Defined


I thought it would be useful to first define a matrix and matrix organisation.

A matrix is (Oxford English Dictionary):

  • a place or medium in which something is bred, produced or developed
  • a setting or environment in which a particular activity or process occurs or develops
  • a mathematical expression arranged in a rectangle of rows and columns, but treated as a single entity

One dimension is traditional line management/functional management in which departments and sections manage people and maintain skill base

The other dimension is project or product management in which projects bring together people & skills to deliver objectives

Individuals are both department/section members and work in projects/in a project team. Thus they have a dual reporting relationship and need to be able to find their way round the resultant ambiguity.

To look at this diagramatically:



I have worked in matrix environments for most of my working life. I think that the benefits far outweigh the problems but I am also conscious that I have a high personal comfort with ambiguity and that this is not the case for everyone.

Within a matrix organisation each of the two dimensions has a unique focus and contribution. here are some examples to illustrate this:

Department/Section Project
– How things are done

• who works on what

• detailed department plans

• capability

– What is done

• commercial targets

• project planning

• recommend progression to next project stage

– technical integrity

– technology foresight

– career development

– buildings & equipment

– manage people

 – market foresight

– links to operational business units

– product flow

– project output and deliverables

– manage projects



Having used this blog to focus on defining a matrix organisation I propose to explore some of the challenges and benefits and some of the leadership requirements in further blogs within this series.



Published by: Lisette on 15/07/2009 - Add a comment

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