Tomorrow I am going for an interview at a top global pharmaceutical company with a view to joining their faculty as an executive coach. So I have been doing my research. A term that comes up a lot in relation to them and generally is “a matrix organisation”I had a feel for what it was and much experience of working in that environment however could I define it in words. With difficulty I discovered! Here is my best attempt
Defining a matrix organisation.
It’s an organizational structure that facilitates the horizontal flow of skills and information. It is used mainly in the management of large projects or product development processes, drawing employees from different functional disciplines for assignment to a team without removing them from their respective positions.
Employees in a matrix organization report on day-to-day performance to the project or product manager whose authority flows sideways (horizontally) across departmental boundaries. They also continue to report on their overall performance to the head of their department whose authority flows downwards (vertically) within his or her department. Matrix organizations are often set up to make organizations more flexible, to break down the old functions or geographic “silos” and encourage more cooperation across the business.
If you have read this and thought Oh! I have a much better definition please do get in touch I’ll be forever grateful and publish it with fully credits!
