The Hindu Business Line : Surviving the matrix

Stay connected. Let your left hand know what your right is doing - all your sponsors must know positive information about your doings. Also, create your ambassadors - it helps to have others re-substantiate your claims!

While moviegoers the world over have been thrilled with the various versions of the Matrix being released in theatres worldwide, a very different reaction seems to be forthcoming from organisations where the Matrix has been unleashed on employees. We're not referring to movie screenings in organisations, of course,but to this wonderfully complex organisational reporting and role structure that is being installed and touted as the panacea for all organisational ills. And as if Matrixes were not complex enough, there is now talk of Spaghetti structures (no, we haven't misspelt it) and Velcro organisations! (We'll leave these confounding concepts for another time)

Having been insiders in such a matrix organisation and structure, we're often besieged by questions from both nostalgic old timers and overwhelmed newcomers on how the straight and simple pyramidal hierarchy was so much happier and productive and how the current matrix structures are so much more slow, unwieldy and impractical. We've our standard explanations, naturally, which involve the regular management blah — higher expertise leverage, better communication, more alignment, better efficiencies and the like. But over the years, we've realised that the inherent question that employees seem to be asking is not why matrix structures exist, but how do we deal with them?

Understandably , a matrix organisation continues to elude definition even after over 30 years of use in work settings. Davis and Lawrence (1977) defined a matrix as "any organisation that employs a multiple command system that includes not only a multiple command structure, but also related support mechanisms and an associated organisational culture and behaviour pattern."

One of the most common characteristics associated with the use of the terms matrix and project is the `mixed' or `overlay' organisational form in which traditional, vertical hierarchy is "overlaid by some form of lateral authority, influence or communication." (Galbraith, 1971; Knight, 1976; Larson & Gobeli, 1987). The matrix structure exhibits a second common characteristic; namely, dual lines of authority, responsibility and accountability that violate the traditional `one-boss' principle of management (Davis Lawrence, 1977; Denis, 1986a; Knight, 1976; Galbraith, 1971; Kerzner, 1984; Cleland & King, 1983). The matrix, then, is a coordinative structural device which constructively blends the programme orientation of project staffs with the specialty orientation of functional personnel in a new and synergistic relationship.

The long and short of it is that if you are among those reporting to multiple bosses and have subordinates who report to you as well as some others, you are smack in the middle of the Matrix organisation and here's our prediction — these organisation structures are here to stay. While literature abounds on the advantages and disadvantages of Matrix structures, our intent in the article is only to give you some tips of how you can take advantage and be successful in such a context.

Over the years, we've come to like Guy Kawasaki's (CEO of Garage.com) style of putting things down in a top ten format — that way, people at least know when the article is going to end! We use the format to draw your attention to some of the fundamental tenets of dealing with and enjoying working in Matrix structures.

Tip 10: Ignorance is not bliss — know thy context

Context is king and if you haven't heard that before, it's worth repeating over and over. An organisation, if anything, is a complex web of relationships and information flows. And like any network, there are `busy nodes' through which a lot of the traffic passes and there are the `isolates' which are not privy to much traffic. Be a busy node and stay `tuned in' to the organisational context. It's important to be discerning and learn to differentiate the real from the chaff — your success often lies in being able to hear and act on the "unstated". And remember that isolated nodes eventually drop off the network. `Being in the know' is not about politics, it's about survival.

Tip 9: Stay on the radar screen and own your airtime

As with public memory, organisational memory is short. That you exist is a fact that should be known to more people than you. Do your own media planning. Airtime is in short supply. So never miss an opportunity to address people or harp on your exploits. Occupy people's mind spaces. Get invited to meetings and parties. And remember, if you repeat the right things long enough, even you may veer around to believing it!

Tip 8: Find your sponsors and enable your ambassadors

While one Godfather was enough in the pyramid, a matrix structure requires you to create multiple sponsors (yes, you need to hedge your risks). Ensure that they benefit from your progress. Stay connected. Let your left hand know what your right is doing — all your sponsors must know positive information about your doings. Also, create your ambassadors — it helps to have others re-substantiate your claims! If you have a team working for you, they could be a great means to disseminating positive information about you.

Tip 7: Identify, escalate and solve problems (not necessarily in that order)

There is this classic fallacy that exists in organisations that solving problems is the biggest challenge. We beg to differ. We think identifying a problem and then defining it is often the most difficult part — how many books have you read on how to formulate problems? Organisations obviously have scores of problems, but the best are able to pick the critical ones — the 80:20 rule — and then not only provide a solution, but also ensure that everyone knows about it. While the solution itself is important, how you solved the problem is more crucial than the fact that you have solved a problem. Remember, often you don't have to solve the problem, you have to enable a solution. If that sounds like management-speak, it basically means you can get anyone to solve the problem, but since you own the problem, nobody else can own the solution.

(P. Vishwanath is Manager, HR, Motorola India and Raghuram Reddam is Director, HR, Motorola India)

Next week: Pick your own battles and other tenets

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