Team Leadership and Matrix Management
Many managers find themselves operating in a 'Matrix Management Environment.' Matrix or Cross-Functional management is a technique of managing people through a series of dual-reporting relationships instead of a more traditional linear management structure.
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This style of management is popular in highly collaborative projects that bring individuals from functional departments (e.g. marketing, customer services, finance, etc.) into the project team. This means that most of the project members operate under a dual authority system - they report to their own line manager as well as the project manager.
For you as the project manager this means that you will have to ensure your communication channels between you and the line managers are effective. In addition, appreciating that the line managers' priorities are often going to be different to those of your project will help you when discussing the availability of resources. If not handled properly, this has the potential for conflict and confusion, which will inevitably lead to a decrease in performance.
One key aspect of maintaining your team's performance in this matrix structure is getting the 'right' resources at the time required by the plan. If your team members are willing but lack the necessary skills to perform their project role then the whole team's performance will decline.
The success of the matrix team structure is reliant on senior management's support for the project and for establishing the correct procedures and processes that support this type of environment.
You may also be interested in:
Team Performance Problems | Herzberg's Hygiene Theory of Motivation | Common Fallacies About Leading Teams | Six Silent Barriers to Performance | Five Key Team Performance Factors | Qualities of Leadership | GroupThink and in-group Behavior.
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