feature | COLLABORATIVE & MATRIXED ORGANISATIONS
COLLABORATIVE & MATRIXED ORGANISATIONS
the matrix - flat, fluid & flow
beyond I was visiting at a certain business just recently and I overheard
a very telling corridor conversation. The first person said; “who is your boss now”? To which the second person replied; “I’m not too sure, I think I have two. I guess I’ll find out when something goes wrong”. I mentioned this to the CEO, who was not surprised, “that’s the problem with the matrix”, he said… and he’s right.
ARTICLE BY PHIL MERRELL, GLOBAL CHANGE MANAGEMENT LEAD & GABY JOYNER, HEAD OF TALENT, GB (CHANGE MANAGEMENT) - WILLIS TOWERS WATSON
A lot of organisations have installed matrix management into their structures as a way of dealing with complexity and a cure for dysfunction. If a company has a complicated operating model, people not collaborating, or they need to centralise to save money, put it in a matrix! The creation of dual authority relationships - aka the dotted line - is a response to having to cope with the realities of a complex world - multiple markets, micro segmentation of customers and increasingly regulated trading environments are facts of life for many businesses - and an attempt to reap the benefits of centralised functions, whilst staying nimble enough to respond to market opportunities. Businesses have responded by adjusting their organisations to reflect this
complexity and opportunity. Markets, products, functions, channels are typical capability areas in an organisation that needs to work together in harmony, balancing priorities and leveraging capabilities. Matrix management has been seen as a default method of joining the dots and, to be fair, has had a positive impact in many cases. Today, however, a matrix structure increasingly looks like a ‘lazy’ response by those who have a hand in designing organisations and it is unlikely to be a strong feature of those businesses that will win in the 2020’s. The winners are likely going to be those who zap complexity and synchronise their efforts at a micro level by developing a fluid organisation which liberates their people from the heavy hand of roles and hierarchies.
So, what does this brave new world look like? Flatter structures, liquid organisation, self-managed teams, digitalisation and work that is defined by projects and skills rather than functions and roles are strong flavours of the next-gen enterprise. Also in the equation will be distributed leadership, strong shared purpose, automation of routine work and an inclusive culture that fosters collaboration and cognitive diversity. There are green shoots out there - ING and Spotify are often cited as leaders in the field of creating agile organisations which incorporate many of the attributes above - but most of us have a lot of catching up to do! The way organisations are designed and operated is the key and, whilst there are many facets of workplace ‘DNA’ that are in play, the three ‘F’s’
36 | thehrdirector | DECEMBER 2019
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