Matrix Management – Working in a Horizontal Structure
On June 28, 2006, staff of the Office of Information Technology, with Janet Eastman as the facilitator, participated in a Matrix Management (Working in a Horizontal Structure) workshop held at the William S. Cohen Community Center in Hallowell. The workshop was attended by the OIT Leadership Team and the subject matter will eventually be offered to other IT personnel.
Matrix Management is the management of an organization in two dimensions: vertical and horizontal. The vertical dimension includes the traditional authority relationships (e.g. the manager/subordinate relationship). The manager sets goals, makes plans, and defines tasks that must be carried out. In the horizontal dimension, business requirements drive the processes and result in outputs that are delivered to customers. Matrix Management recognizes the need for both dimensions, with the horizontal taking precedence over the vertical. Simply put, Matrix Management means operating across functions, with the horizontal (output) dimension being primary and the vertical (management) dimension supporting it.
The work of the organization happens in the horizontal dimension, through business processes and projects, which are steered by councils and/or committees. Overseeing the main operating and supporting processes of the organization is a leadership group which manages the portfolio of projects. Since efforts are process and output driven, everyone in the matrix must have skills that make him/her an effective team member.
There are seven (7) keys to successfully align organizations along matrix lines:
- business process alignment
- goal assignment
- project alignment
- accountability alignment
- collaborative management
- standardization of management processes
- role alignment
To learn more go to http://inet.state.me.us/oit/training/index.html to view materials from this workshop. More information on Matrix Management will be made available in the near future.
