Hot Intersections: Using the Matrix to Decide What’s Hot and What’s Not
One point that we make in our Matrix Immersion Training is that the top executive(s) leading the matrix organization is usually “of” the matrix, but not “in” it. By this we mean that the top executive, be s/he a Chief Operating Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Scientific Officer, etc., will lead matrixed resources as an agile tool with which to fulfill the organizational mission and to attain its goals, and in that sense be “of “ the matrix. However, the top executive sits atop the matrix-as-tool and does not wear the jersey of a player within the matrix in the same way that horizontal team leaders, vertical functional leaders, and go-to interface persons can and must. From a different angle, matrix management should not be confused with participatory management, although there are times when matrix management can be highly participatory in nature when judged useful in the discretion of the executive who is committed to using matrix management to achieve results.
By scanning for and defining the nature of “hot intersections,” top executives who are “of” the matrix can communicate more explicitly and productively with all of the players “in” the matrix. Specifically, the all-important interface person (variously called the “go-to person,” the Key Individual, “team contact,” etc.) will have a more clear and confident sense of future success and the issues that need to be planned and managed to achieve victories that matter.
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