Managing the matrix : the secret to surviving and thriving in your organization : a mentor's tale

**A comprehensive guide to excelling in a complex matrix organization**__Debra was not in a good mood as she entered Johann’s office for their third meeting. One of her colleagues had just been promoted and, although the guy who got it was good, she didn’t think he was any better than her. Well, except at one thing, he was always playing politics - sucking up to the more senior guys and volunteering to be on any committee going.__ __Debra knew the type - went to the same school, belonged to the same club - she didn’t have a hope against the kind of connections he had so she might as well give up. It seemed doing a good job just wasn’t enough around here.__ Debra and Johann work in an environment with multiple and complex reporting lines – in other words, a matrix. There’s room to “slip between the cracks” – if a person wants to take advantage of confusion over who is managing performance; or if they can’t make the necessary transition to self-management. Communication can be difficult even when there is an apparently shared language. Read how Johann and Debra work together to identify the skills needed to succeed in a matrix, and how using Emotional Intelligence (EI) can develop specific behaviours you can incorporate in your daily job. The result will help reduce stress and increase your chances of success. Dawn Metcalfe, Managing Director of PDS, based in Dubai, uses her experience as a coach and trainer to give us a behind the curtain look at how mentoring can help an individual develop the skills they need to survive and thrive in today’s complex work environments. A comprehensive guide to excelling in a complex matrix organization. Debra was not in a good mood as she entered Johann's office for their third meeting. One of her colleagues had just been promoted and, although the guy who got it was good, she didn't think he was any better than her. Well, except at one thing, he was always playing politics - sucking up to the more senior guys and volunteering to be on any committee going. Debra knew the type - went to the same school, belonged to the same club - she didn't have a hope against the kind of connections he had so she might as well give up. It seemed doing a good job just wasn't enough around here. Debra and Johann work in an environment with multiple and complex reporting lines--in other words, a matrix. There's room to "slip between the cracks"--If a person wants to take advantage of confusion over who is managing performance; or if they can't make the necessary transition to self-management. Communication can be difficult even when there is an apparently shared language. Read how Johann and Debra work together to identify the skills needed to succeed in a matrix, and how using Emotional Intelligence (EI) can develop specific behaviours you can incorporate in your daily job. The result will help reduce stress and increase your chances of success. Dawn Metcalfe, Managing Director of PDS, based in Dubai, uses her experience as a coach and trainer to give us a behind the curtain look at how mentoring can help an individual develop the skills they need to survive and thrive in today's complex work environments.-- Publisher description A comprehensive guide to excelling in a complex matrix organization Debra was not in a good mood as she entered Johann’s office for their third meeting. One of her colleagues had just been promoted and, although the guy who got it was good, she didn’t think he was any better than her. Well, except at one thing, he was always playing politics - sucking up to the more senior guys and volunteering to be on any committee going. Debra knew the type - went to the same school, belonged to the same club - she didn’t have a hope against the kind of connections he had so she might as well give up. It seemed doing a good job just wasn’t enough around here. Debra and Johann work in an environment with multiple and complex reporting lines – in other words, a matrix. There’s room to “slip between the cracks” – if a person wants to take advantage of confusion over who is managing performance; or if they can’t make the necessary transition to self-management. Communication can be difficult even when there is an apparently shared language. Read how Johann and Debra work together to identify the skills needed to succeed in a matrix, and how using Emotional Intelligence (EI) can develop specific behaviours you can incorporate in your daily job. The result will help reduce stress and increase your chances of success. Dawn Metcalfe, Managing Director of PDS, based in Dubai, uses her experience as a coach and trainer to give us a behind the curtain look at how mentoring can help an individual develop the skills they need to survive and thrive in today’s complex work environments. This book has one overriding objective for its reader: to share the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to survive and thrive in a matrix organization. Of course, these are important in any organization but their mastery is vital to managing the matrix. Despite its effectiveness being challenged since the 1980s, the matrix organizational structure is still widely used. However, managers continue to feel that they are hindered rather than helped by such structures, with their employees being confused over conflicting loyalties as line managers retain central control and dotted line managers impose extra demands. On top of these internal organisational challenges of vertical and horizontal management, organizations now operate in an unstable global economic climate, where strategic uncertainty and increasing levels of organisational rationalisation, mergers and acquisitions have increased the demands on leaders and managers of such organisations yet further. Many organisations have failed to recognise the need for development of the skills necessary to navigate matrices, such as communication, influencing, coaching, negotiation and conflict management. This book redresses this shortfall by explaining why companies continue to have such faith in matrix management, what the benefits and primary challenges are of matrix structures and most significantly, provides the tools, techniques and tips for those operating within a matrix structure on how they can succeed in an ever-increasingly challenging and complex global environment Cover 1 Title page 5 Copyright page 6 Dedication 7 Contents 9 Introduction 11 1: The Challenge is Set 17 2: Laying the Cards on the Table 27 3: Preparing for Change 43 4: Working on Objectives 51 5: How Quickly We Forget 67 6: The Matrix – the Good, the Bad and the Ugly 71 7: What do the Successes in the Matrix do? 87 8: Defining EI 97 9: A Short and (Emotionally) Intelligent Review 119 10: Working Out How EI Can Help 123 11: Why IQ isn’t Enough 141 12: Learning EI 155 13: Fake It Until You Make It 165 14: How Managers Can Help Improve EI 191 15: Understanding the Importance of Culture and Strong Leadership in the Matrix 197 Epilogue 209 Acknowledgements 215 About the Author 219 Useful Resources 223