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Matrix Organisations

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The topic of this questionnaire is matrix structures. A matrix structure is one where individuals have dual reporting with one report to their functional manager and the other to a project or business manager. Typically, functional departments support a number of projects or businesses and assign representatives to those project or business teams. Often, a person reports to his / her department and to more than one project or business.

Please follow the instructions given and try not to spend too much time on any one question - your first thoughts are usually your best. For any question, if you do not understand or have no experience on which to base an opinion, please leave it blank. Your participation in this study is completely voluntary.

The survey is split into four sections, you will be asked to click continue six times.

Please start with the survey now by clicking on the Continue button below.

Please tell me about yourself...

	YES	NO
What is your experience in matrix structures... Have you ever worked in a situation where you had dual reporting: one report to your functional manager and the other to a project or business manager?	YES	NO

Have you ever worked as a project manager or business manager with people reporting to yourself and their functional managers	YES	NO

Have you ever worked as a functional manager with people reporting to yourself and a project or business manager?	YES	NO

	..... 0-1.....	..... 1-5.....	..... 5-10.....	..... 10-15.....	..... >15.....
How many years of experience do you have in a matrix structure?	..... 0-1.....	..... 1-5.....	..... 5-10.....	..... 10-15.....	..... >15.....

With which position do you have most experience?

Project manager (or business manager)

Functional manager

Team member with dual reporting to project (or business) and functional manager

	..... Yes.....	..... No.....
Do you hold a MBA degree?	..... Yes.....	..... No.....

	..... Chevron.....	..... Sasol.....
For which company do you work?	..... Chevron.....	..... Sasol.....

Challenges of Matrix structures

INSTRUCTIONS

Please answer the following questions based on your actual experience

For each of the following statements, click whether you agree, disagree etc.

Please scroll down to answer all the questions

If you have no experience on which to base a response or don't know, please skip the question.

If you have no experience with matrix structures and do not have an opinion regarding the challenges of thes structures and what can be done to manage them, please feel free to quit this questionnaire.

Ambiguity of Authority

Note: Ambiguity of authority means the overlapping of authority of functional and project managers and the situation where project or functional managers may have responsibility and accountability without authority or power

In your actual experience, a matrix structure causes ambiguous authority which…

	I Agree	I tend to Agree	Maybe, maybe not	I tend to disagree	I Disagree
Generates conflict between functional and project managers in the form of power struggles to assert responsibility and fighting over resources etc? ..........................................	I Agree	I tend to Agree	Maybe, maybe not	I tend to disagree	I Disagree

Leads to avoidance of decisions or delayed decisions. Possible reasons include • managers are not used to sharing decisions; • not tackling an issue to avoid conflict. ..........................................	I Agree	I tend to Agree	Maybe, maybe not	I tend to disagree	I Disagree

Generates stress for functional and project managers resulting in reduced satisfaction and motivation	I Agree	I tend to Agree	Maybe, maybe not	I tend to disagree	I Disagree

Unclear roles and responsibility

Note: unclear roles and responsibilities means that staff in matrix structures do not know who is responsible for what and who needs to be consulted or informed regarding any issue.

In your actual experience, a matrix structure creates unclear roles and responsibilities which …

	I Agree	I tend to Agree	Maybe, maybe not	I tend to disagree	I Disagree
Generates stress within the team, resulting in reduced satisfaction and motivation ..........................................	I Agree	I tend to Agree	Maybe, maybe not	I tend to disagree	I Disagree

Disrupts communication because people do not know with whom to communicate. ..........................................	I Agree	I tend to Agree	Maybe, maybe not	I tend to disagree	I Disagree

Causes duplication of work and wasting of resources as more than one person tries to tackle the same issue	I Agree	I tend to Agree	Maybe, maybe not	I tend to disagree	I Disagree

Conflict caused by diversity

Note: diversity between people from different functions and between each function and the project manager refers to different vocabularies, behaviours, perspectives, time horizons and values of people from different functions.

In your actual experience, diversity between individuals from different functions (e.g. engineers versus finance people) working on a project…

	I Agree	I tend to Agree	Maybe, maybe not	I tend to disagree	I Disagree
Creates a lack of trust between team members ..........................................	I Agree	I tend to Agree	Maybe, maybe not	I tend to disagree	I Disagree

Creates stress, thereby lowering motivation and job satisfaction of team members. ..........................................	I Agree	I tend to Agree	Maybe, maybe not	I tend to disagree	I Disagree

Makes it difficult for team members with dual reports to adapt to reporting to a project manager that does not understand his/her particular expertise and difficult for the project manager to manage the team member.	I Agree	I tend to Agree	Maybe, maybe not	I tend to disagree	I Disagree

Misaligned goals

Note: misaligned goals refers miss-alignment between objectives of each function or miss-alignment between the functions and the project or business.

In your actual experience, in a matrix structure…

	I Agree	I tend to Agree	Maybe, maybe not	I tend to disagree	I Disagree
Project teams generally DO NOT ensure that team members buy into the goals of the project by negotiating goal-based expectations. ..........................................	I Agree	I tend to Agree	Maybe, maybe not	I tend to disagree	I Disagree

Conflicting goals create stress amongst team members, thereby lowering motivation and job satisfaction ..........................................	I Agree	I tend to Agree	Maybe, maybe not	I tend to disagree	I Disagree

Functions differ in the priority given to different projects which impacts the resources allocated to that project	I Agree	I tend to Agree	Maybe, maybe not	I tend to disagree	I Disagree

What can be done to make matrix structures work and to manage the challenges?

INSTRUCTIONS

Please answer the following questions based on your OPINION

For the following statements, please click on the number that matches your view most closely. Select 2 or 4 if you think both statements have merit but you favour one over the other. Pick 3 if you think both statements have equal merit.

For example if you think that the statement on the left is true but the statement on the right has some merit, select 2; if you think both statements have equal merit, select 3

Please scroll down to answer all the questions

Please try and answer all of the questions, even if it is your best guess.

For a matrix structure, in your opinion, Salary, promotion and career development…

..........................................

Should be managed by the functional manager
1

..........................................

2

..........................................

3

..........................................

4

Should be shared between the functional and project manager.
5

For a matrix structure, in your opinion, performance appraisal…

..........................................

Should be done via a 360 degree performance appraisal (where input is obtained from people with which the person has interacted)
1

..........................................

2

..........................................

3

..........................................

4

should be managed solely by functional managers
5

For a matrix structure, in your opinion, it is more important to select functional representatives on project teams

..........................................

Based on personality (assuming they have a minimum level of functional expertise)

1

..........................................

2

..........................................

3

..........................................

4

Based on expertise (assuming they have a minimum level of personality fit for matrix environments)

5

For a matrix structure, in your opinion, a matrix structure is more effective if…

..........................................

Roles and responsibilities are well defined
1

..........................................

2

..........................................

3

..........................................

4

Roles and responsibilities remain undefined and flexible.
5

For a matrix structure, in your opinion, the role of the team member with dual reporting is to …

..........................................

Lobby the project manager according to the view of his/her function.
1

..........................................

2

..........................................

3

..........................................

4

Lobby both the project and functional managers.

5

For a matrix structure, in your opinion, RACI…

..........................................

Should be used to define and manage roles and communication requirements.
1

..........................................

2

..........................................

3

..........................................

4

Should not be used as it complicates matrix structures.
5

For a matrix structure, in your opinion, differences in opinion are best managed through…

..........................................

Open mindedness and challenging opinions of functional team members.
1

..........................................

2

..........................................

3

..........................................

4

Trusting the expertise of functional role players.

5

For a matrix structure, in your opinion, a matrix is more suited to…

..........................................

A structure of vertical reporting with people of different hierarchical levels on the same team.
1
..........................................

2
..........................................

3
..........................................

4
A flat structure where people of different disciplines are seen as equal.
5

For a matrix structure, in your opinion, conflict is best managed through…

..........................................
Cooperation (mutual goals, joint benefit) & confirmation (avoiding blame; tackle the issue, not the individual)

1
..........................................

2
..........................................

3
..........................................

4
Competition (competing to ensure an issue gets the necessary air time) and maintaining harmony (smoothing over differences, avoiding anger)
5

For a matrix structure, in your opinion, a formal planning system which cascades the company’s mission and goals to projects…

..........................................
Will create alignment between functional departments and projects.
1
..........................................

2
..........................................

3
..........................................

4
Leads to conflict between functions and projects as each jockeys for power.
5

For a matrix structure, in your opinion, to align goals at project framing…

..........................................
Project managers, functional managers and the project team should all negotiate project goals together.
1
..........................................

2
..........................................

3
..........................................

4
The project team should negotiate project goals and present these to functional mangers for comment.
5

For a matrix structure, in your opinion, company values that are part of the companies vision and mission…

..........................................
Can be used to drive behaviours required for a matrix to work
1
..........................................

2
..........................................

3
..........................................

4
Are not useful in driving the behaviours required for a matrix to work.
5

From the list below, select the five supportive skills / competencies / behaviours / characteristics that are most useful in a matrix structure to manage its challenges
Action orientated
Analytical skill
Collaboration
Communication skill
Cultural sensitivity
Customer focus
Emotional intelligence (Understanding, managing, perceiving and guiding emotion)
Goal focus
Interpersonal skill
Negotiation and selling
Personal power (as against positional power)
Problem solving
Resource management
Teamwork and team building
Technical expertise
Time management

Thank you, the questionnaire is now complete - unless you would like to add general comments below?

INSTRUCTIONS

If you do not wish to add additional comments, please click continue.

If you do have the time to add additional comments, which will be greatly valued, please type these into the two boxes below.

Other than those discussed above, do you have any other examples of key challanges of matrix structures?
Other than those discussed above, what can be done to manage the challenges of matrix structures and ensure they work?

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