That is an interesting question Lamiaa. I believe that for a Matrix Organization, even though it is ideal, could pose more challenges to a project manager. One of the main reasons is due to sharing resources that sometimes need to be negotiated and possibly conflict with other schedules. So it is tough for the project manager to coordinate with the multiple shared resources to even schedule a meeting. From experience, I have seen how resources are utilized for as many projects as they can. There are times that additional meetings are required due to team members not attending the first meeting but have to make sure they are caught up with the updates.

Very interesting topic Lamiaa. I believe it would be more challenging to work in matrix organization for a project manager.In matrix organization,the product manager would find himself working across functional lines to try to coordinate production schedules, inventories, cash flow, and distribution patterns. Because he has approved all future plans in advance when one or two plans are not working out or falling behind,it creates stressful situation for him.

Such kind of condition often leads to complete or partial failure of project.
-Hetal

The hardest part of a matrix based organization would seem to be getting people to be on their project team. If a person if involved in other projects it may be hard to coordinate with that person to get them involved in their project. It does seem like a way to fully utilize all of the resources available in the company without having to duplicate work. On the flip side there could also be an overload of work on a person if they are wanted on every single project. Another good thing about the matrix based organization is that those who are on the project team will always have their functional manager to rely on when they may need help.

I believe it would be more difficult working as a project manager in the matrix based organization. There are three types of matrix based organizations. Functional matrix is when the functional manager has more power that the project manager, a balanced matrix is when they share equal power, and a project matrix is when the project manager has more power. In all of these cases the project manager still has to sacrifice a certain amount of power where in a project based organization the project members only report to the project manager. When the project members have to report to more than one boss this can make it difficult for project managers to establish meetings. In a matrix based organization the project manager must negotiate and consult with the department managers on various issues, which leads to the delay in decision making. Some of these issues could be sharing equipment, resources, and personnel among different projects which will lead to conflict and competition for scarce resources. Although project based organizations can be worse for the company it is better for project managers.

Hi All,

I would agree that all who posted that stated a Matrix organization would be ideal. This is due to the fact that a project based organization puts much responsibility on the project manager and their team. In an ideal world where all members worked well, this would not be an issue. However because the project teams would work independently of each-other, resources and knowledge would be duplicated and waste company resources. This would make it difficult for the project manager in the long-run as there are many projects that may have overlap, but they would not have access to them.

-Andrew Nashed

Hello,
There is a recent Gallup survey article about revisiting the matrix organization published on January 2016 which involved 4000 US employees highlighted some benefits in matrix organization. Survey categorized as matrixed, slightly matrixed, non-matrixed, supermatrixed employees working in such organization. Supermatrixed employees were generally twice as likely as slightly matrix ones to say it helped them perform better, collaborate more effectively with coworkers, serve customer well, and open up for innovation. On other hand, employees in the matrix categories complained not having clear direction and spending their days responding to coworkers’ requests and attending meeting. Due to this factors, in the critics’ assertions, matrix structure can slow decision making, stifle productivity and hinder organizational responsiveness and agility.

Reference
http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/revisiting-the-matrix-organization

I would desire to work in a Project-based Organization as a PM. Often; the project manager makes the decisions and has whole control over members of project team. I chose it because I will have a lot of more authority in it. It would be much easier to control the projects and stay on the schedule. The communication with the team will be better as well. As a disadvantage of this type of organization the Project Manager can work with team members who are also working on more than one concurrent project at the company. If I would be a team member, I would like to work in the Matrix Organizational structure. As a team member in this structure, you can learn diverse kinds of managerial styles on a given project.

Thanks

Hi Lamiaa,
In my opinion working for in a matrix organization is more difficult for the project manager, due to the fact that cross functional team situation, such as sharing resources and staff. Often times multiple team members are involved in multiple projects with different project managers, thus coordinating meetings and deadlines may be slightly difficult. While in project based organization, the project manager has full oversight for the project, as a result if something were to go wrong in the project, the project manager of the project based organization may have full responsibility.

Chris

Both matrix and project based organizations have their advantages and disadvantages as a project manager. As a project manager I feel a significant factor in finding success is being able to create a harmonious work environment where everyone is on the same page. It is easier for the project manager to create this environment when working in a matrix based organization for there is a balance in authority between the functional head and project manager. No one person will be able make or break the project, you must work as a team with all departments to help each other achieve the end goal. Although this is also the end goal in project based organizations there is no balance of power. The project is in the hands of the project manager and it is their job to hire whom ever they feel is qualified for the job. This can cause highly stressful situations when things are not going well. Department members may begin isolating themselves or avoiding the manager out of fear of losing their jobs. This is a difficult environment to work successfully in for it is much easier to accomplish a task when there are different perspectives working to find an approach to fix the problem. As a project manager I would like a functional manager I can consult and work along with when working on a project.

Very interesting point lamiaa. I believe that it will be more challenging for project managers to work in matrix organizations because they have cross the limits that the departments set and deal with people that you have never talked to before. Working with your own department means working with those people you are familiar with, so you already know the weaknesses and strengths of your team members. Crossing the line of departments means that the concept previously mentioned does not exist.

Let me know what you guys think

Sincerely,
Roberto Pineda.

In Matrix organization project staff has dual loyalties to the project and their functional unit. They have set functional managers and program manager to oversee projects, and then there is project manager to check the work. In Project based organization work gets done directly through project managers. Projects are organized in programs under program managers responsibilities. The project manager, takes over the full responsibility for project, its plan has to complete, within the framework of in advance defined budget, specifications and quality. I would agree with others who stated that working as PM in matrix based organization can be more difficult. If project managers in a matrix situation do not have good relationships with line managers in the organization, conflicts may arise over authority over employees’ work and priorities, it may become quite difficult trying to manage everything in the project plan.

Luisa,

You make a great point. In addition I would like to point out that in a matrix organization each staff member has at least 2 bosses, as mentioned in Dr. Simon's lecture. I believe this can add to the difficulty of carrying out this organizational style as there may be cases where they have conflicting opinions. This can lead to delays, confusion and a waste of resources. In my experience, I have been in situations in which I had to report to my direct supervisor as well as the engineering manager. This led to a few occasions of miscommunication and disagreement about the course of action that should be carried out to resolve the issue. I believe that there is an upside to this as decisions are likely more democratic, but this could also lead to an issue of workplace politics and can shift focus off of what's best for the project.

-Romany

Hi kdg4,
You brought up a really good point. I agree that one of the hardest parts for a project manager is choosing individuals for their team in a matrix-based organization. However, I also see that as a benefit. Assuming the project manager is able to gather the team members, they get to choose from a variety of different people, all with different talents and skills that incorporate to finishing their product, depending on what the project is. They might not get this benefit through a functional-based organization. This is because the same team members would work on different projects. These team members may lack the skills necessary in order to complete a specific project. Therefore, in this case a matrix organization may benefit the project manager the most.

In my opinion, it ultimately depends on the type of company and projects that the company produces. A project manager can thrive in any organization type. However, each organization comes with its own pros and cons. Therefore, it is difficult to choose the best type.

Good question. I believe that it is more challenging to work as a project manager in a matrix organization, because you have more people than usual that you are supervising. Instead of supervising people from your own department, you are now responsible for people from other departments that you may not have usually been in contact with. Another limitation is also ensuring that deadlines do not conflict between departments and projects. Employees may have multiple deadlines and it may be confusing. Furthermore, project managers may have to compete for resources if their projects are similar.