Managing the Matrix: The Secret to Surviving and Thriving in Your Organization

by Dawn Metcalfe

A comprehensive guide to excelling in a complex matrix organization Debra was not in a good mood as she entered Johann’s office for their third meeting. One of her colleagues had just been promoted and, although the guy who got it was good, she didn’t think he was any better than her. Well, except at one thing, he was always playing politics - sucking up to the more senior guys and volunteering to be on any committee going.

Debra knew the type - went to the same school, belonged to the same club - she didn’t have a hope against the kind of connections he had so she might as well give up. It seemed doing a good job just wasn’t enough around here.

Debra and Johann work in an environment with multiple and complex reporting lines – in other words, a matrix. There’s room to “slip between the cracks” – if a person wants to take advantage of confusion over who is managing performance; or if they can’t make the necessary transition to self-management. Communication can be difficult even when there is an apparently shared language.

Read how Johann and Debra work together to identify the skills needed to succeed in a matrix, and how using Emotional Intelligence (EI) can develop specific behaviours you can incorporate in your daily job.  The result will help reduce stress and increase your chances of success.

Dawn Metcalfe, Managing Director of PDS, based in Dubai, uses her experience as a coach and trainer to give us a behind the curtain look at how mentoring can help an individual develop the skills they need to survive and thrive in today’s complex work environments.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction

227 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Having worked in seven countries ranging from when she was a teenager in Ireland through to her time teaching teachers in China, to her now home in Dubai, she’s worked with leaders at all levels around the region and beyond to change the way they see the world, their behaviour and their impact on others.

As well as authoring The HardTalk Handbook and Managing the Matrix, she is also the founder of Dubai based PDSi, which helps individuals and teams get even better at what they do at their best. Known for not being afraid to tell truth to power her insights and straight-talking approach has kept her constantly in demand from large multinationals and government entities, across the Middle East, over the last 10 years.

Reviews

[Sarah Bahar · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I loved particularly about this book was the fact that it takes you on an entirely relatable journey, through the story of the two main characters, and then wraps each chapter up with concrete takeaways. It manages to get down a lot of what we've all experienced and turn it into something thoughtful and ordered that we can learn from.

We all know we are supposed to try and see other people's perspective to help us work together, but I wonder how often we do actually try - this book really firms up the need for it and offers lots of practical advice on how to do it.

If you are interested in the concept of mentoring/being mentored, this is an absolute must read.

I've read Dawn's second book (The HardTalk Handbook) and I can see how it's an evolution from Managing the Matrix. She has a clear knack for knowing what the most common problems we face in the workplace are and offers real insight on how to solve them to help us succeed.

[Dan H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good book on value of EI, but little about working in a matrix

The author makes a good case for the value of emotional intelligence (EI) in the workplace, but doesn’t really focus on specific challenges of matrixes organizations. In fact, I’m pretty sure the work matrix doesn’t appear until at least halfway through the book. While EI is indeed useful for navigating a matrix, it’s much more complex than just that. If you’re looking for a book on what challenges you’ll face in a matrix (and how to navigate them), this probably isn’t the book. If you’re already familiar with matrixed organizations, then maybe you’ll enjoy the book.

[Dy-an · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly focused on emotional intelligence. It would've been nice if there was more about matrix management.

[D U N Y A]

"يمكن حل الكثير من المشكلات إذا بادر الناس بإجراء تلك المناقشات الصعبة."

"إن التوجية يحفزك على التفكير حول الأمور التي تريدها بحق، والمهام الجديدة التي يتعين عليك القيام بها لتحقيق تلك الأمور."

القدرة على الشعور بالانفعالات وفهمها بحيث نستطيع استخدمها عندما تكون مفيدة وإدارتها عندما لا تكون كذلك."

"الذكي انفعالياً يستطيع تحقيق الاستفادة القصوى من حالاته المزاجية المتغيرة من أجل ملاءمة المهمة التي بين يديه على النحو الأفضل."

"الانفعالات تكون حقيقية بالنسبة للأشخاص حتى إذا لم تكن مستندة إلى الواقع. فقد تكون مستندة إلى سوء فهم."

"ليس هناك جدوى من توقع قيام الأشخاص بأمور لا يقدرون على فعلها."

"نحن لا نستخدم التفكير من أجل الوصول إلى طريقة تصرف مختلفة؛ بل نشق طريقنا إليها بالعمل."

"المهارة الرئيسيّة لتحقيق التغيير تكمن في القدرة على الحديث عنه. (إدراك المشكلة)"

[Prachiti Talathi Gandhi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept of Emotional Intelligence, the mentoring process is explained in a simple language by using a story telling style. I enjoyed reading the book.