Consider the three types of organizations in project management: functional, project-based, and matrix. Which of those formats do you think you would most like to work under? Explain.
To answer my own writing prompt, I felt most drawn to the matrix organization. The reason I like that format is because it is more collaborative in nature than the functional and project-based methods. I am always inclined to believe that people are more apt to grow and learn from others if they in fact have the opportunity to work with others. The fact that each project manager will be able to choose their team specialists for the sake of the project lends itself to the project managers knowing everyone well. That is beneficial because they can better select the best team when they have future projects to complete.
If I had to consider a second choice as a potential method, I would likely select the project-based organization. I like the idea of the project managers having the power over a functional head. Collaboration is also possible and "knowledge transfers well from project to project" because this method is void of silos.
No, I have never worked as a project manager or anything of the sort. My response is based on what I believe I would like, which is all pretty much based on my general style when it comes to working and personality. It is all in theory, but I would perhaps be interested in finding out what would actually work best. Maybe it would ultimately depend upon the type of project.
Hi Keshia, thank you for the question and I wanted to address what organization that I would work under. I think I would have to agree with you and say that the matrix organization is probably one of the ones I’m most familiar with and probably the one that I would ideally like to work in. The mini company aspect represents projects in the purest form in terms of organization. When I worked for the American Red Cross, I worked in mass care which is involved in sheltering, feeding, bulk distribution of emergency supplies and equipment and reunification of families which all falls under the umbrella of mass care. So the projects that we managed were under this matrices with a single line of responsibility and authority which was effective and sub optimized to solve real-world problems. Resources were used more effectively, information flowed beyond the lifecycle of the projects we worked on and the moral was high among volunteers and employees. The American red cross in and of itself is a large organization with many of the functions and tasks required departmentalization or compartmentalization, which is why a matrix organization has its advantages versus the alternatives. Of course no organization form can work 100% of the time for every project but I believe that a matrix organization for many project management purposes provides the best fit.
@llefevre You gave a great example of an organizational schematic. The fluidity of the processes that took place under the matrix model and the positive outcomes that resulted were nice to hear. I especially like that you mentioned the morale of the volunteers. Morale is so important. I think effective leadership, and in this case the appropriate organizational model, will directly impact those who are subject to it. If they are both (leadership and organizational model) in order and volunteers or employees are subsequently satisfied then they are likely to remain part of the group/ organization. If there was a break down in leadership or the organizational model, thereby creating poor morale in the company, individuals may be apt to go elsewhere.
Consider the three types of organizations in project management: functional, project-based, and matrix. Which of those formats do you think you would most like to work under? Explain.
I think that I would most like to work in a matrix organization. When I look at what work best for me, I realize that I work best with open communication. If I happen to have questions about something or need some information about a specific topic, the communication is open and the knowledge transfers over easily. This is something that would be great if I decided to join a new company and help them on their project, and/or if I am assigned a project from one job to another, I can get help from multiple sources and still be able to effectively do my job. Having multiple bosses doesn't really bother me per say. If i have questions about how something is being done I can ask different people for different perspectives and be able to do my job effectively. Not having a clique-ish culture is a major disadvantage to the other positions in my opinion.
Hi Keshia, thank you for the question and I wanted to address what organization that I would work under. I think I would have to agree with you and say that the matrix organization is probably one of the ones I’m most familiar with and probably the one that I would ideally like to work in. The mini company aspect represents projects in the purest form in terms of organization. When I worked for the American Red Cross, I worked in mass care which is involved in sheltering, feeding, bulk distribution of emergency supplies and equipment and reunification of families which all falls under the umbrella of mass care. So the projects that we managed were under this matrices with a single line of responsibility and authority which was effective and sub optimized to solve real-world problems. Resources were used more effectively, information flowed beyond the lifecycle of the projects we worked on and the moral was high among volunteers and employees. The American red cross in and of itself is a large organization with many of the functions and tasks required departmentalization or compartmentalization, which is why a matrix organization has its advantages versus the alternatives. Of course no organization form can work 100% of the time for every project but I believe that a matrix organization for many project management purposes provides the best fit.
Hey Lentz,
You really explained matrix in your field very well. When I worked on my research project in undergrad, we had a matrix style of an organization. The connection between my teachers was very well done, the expectations were clear and we did this effectively because we knew what was expected of us, we had open communication about where we were on our project and where we needed to be, and we also had clear deadlines that everyone understood that we had to meet. And that type of organization made me fall in love with research and the structure that we worked in. While scheduling did have some conflicts, we made sure that we all found a time that worked for us and tried to be consistent with it. When I think of effectively working in a team, I think of that organization style, and I would love to continue to do this in the future.
Consider the three types of organizations in project management: functional, project-based, and matrix. Which of those formats do you think you would most like to work under? Explain.
I personally would like to work under the project-based organizational structure because of the fact that it is separated from the parent organization. All of the focus can be directed to the project without being micromanaged by a higher up position. The people working on the project typically have a common interest and look forward to achieving the same goal. The only big disadvantage I personally see is that if you take a person who is fully committed to working on a project away from a job, that job is not always guaranteed to be there once the project is complete.
Consider the three types of organizations in project management: functional, project-based, and matrix. Which of those formats do you think you would most like to work under? Explain.
Hello great question. Considering the three types of organizations in project management that are functional, project-based, and matrix. The format that I believe that I would like to most work under is a matrix. This would be more to what I am used as it involves working more collectively. Within a Matrix one can empower those who are within the structure of this style. From past ventures the criteria setup has been clear and working felt smooth. I believe in future I would love to have that clear open line of communication and set standards of how others and I would like to more forward. This would give everyone a chance to put there best foot forward and when some does not know how to do a task assist them in acquiring that skill.
When considering the three types of organizations in project management I would prefer matrix organization. I choose this being in the form of organization because it is more hands on for those involved. You get a chance to see how others works and how different ideas can come together and it’s these types of environments that can produce some of the best works.
To answer the question, I believe that I would work best under the project-based organizational structure. The organizational structure provides a framework that can be used to help understand how to work for a larger organization through projects, while also gaining a transferable skillset.
Hey Tia,
I really enjoyed your explanation on why matrix organization would be your preferred organization you would work under. What really stood out about what you said in your post that that when you have multiple bosses you get to have different perspectives. I feel like that is very important to have different perspective when you are trying to do your job because one boss one know the right answer but the next boss might know the better answer. You can do things a lot of ways and it still be right but it’s better to have the best way to do it.
