What is you experience with a matrix organization?

Question

My site will be moving from a typical project based management system to a matrix organization. I will now be reporting to the project lead, who has been my boss, and a cross-product lead, who I don't know very well and doesn't know me. The troubling part is that the new boss will be doing my formal performance reviews.

Have you had any experience with this management structure? How can I make sure my performance is evaluated on how well I actually do my job for the customer rather than what the cross-product manager thinks I should be doing?

Answer 1

Believe it or not a matrix organisation is not less typical than the project-based one.

On its own it does not mean much - everything will depend on how the people in the matrix will want to use it.

In my company the review results are based on the opinion of the manager who knows the employee best. If it is the project manager then her feedback will be used for the evaluation results. If the developer is on the bench and is not assigned to a particular project then his resource manager would be able to best evaluate him.

Answer 2

This arrangement is quite common, especially in the professional tiers of governmental organisations and large corporates.

On the face of it, it means that your professional development reviews and appraisals can be done by a leader in your profession while at the same time leaving the operational and project management to those ostensibly closest to business needs.

More profoundly, it is a compromise position that lessens the bloodshed and collateral damage from political power struggles.

The new appraiser should be keeping track of your performance and consulting the project lead prior to your appraisal, but they may not. I suggest you start a diary of events and your achievements so that your new appraiser has evidence of your performance. I know, it sucks, but perhaps no one else will look after your interests as well as you can.

Answer 3

"How can I make sure my performance is evaluated on how well I actually do my job for the customer..."

This is a question that assumes: 1 - you are working for a healthy organisation which draws the line between looking after the customer and the profit line. 2 - your assessment of what is good for the customer aligns with the assessment of your mananger

Both of these are big assumptions.

I'd suggest you ignore the structure and focus on the person making your pay decision and ask for a 15 minute meeting were they brief you on what you they expect you to do and how they expect you to do it and behave.

Then ask for a monthly session where they tell you how you are going and what changes they want to see.

Don't speak one word more than absolutely required in any of these sessions. Let the boss own the floor and the conversation and NEVER argue with them in these sessions. These are a chance for the boss to have a good time and reflect that good feeling on the person in the room, YOU.