A few weeks ago, I asked some managers that I know about the topics they would like to read about on this blog. Several responded that they were curious about how to better design and manage matrix organizations. This is not a new topic – but it seems to be one that still concerns managers in many large organizations.

The first question I thought we should discuss is what options are available. So in this video, I briefly describe the matrix structure and compare it with two more recent alternatives.

You will find a much more in-depth discussion in my book where I explain how these three organizational models differ in terms of goals and KPIs, reporting structure, resource allocation, and so on.

The organizational models that I discuss have been described before by well known authors (Davis & Lawrence, Galbraith, Ackoff); but as far as I know my book is the first that compares these different models to each other and proposes some design rules to guide the selection of the right model given different circumstances.