Matrix Management Magazine
When you're leading teams that include stakeholders, which is pretty much most teams nowadays, authority isn't going to do you much good. Even direct reports no longer appreciate the use of authority or accept the "because I said so" management style - they want to weigh in on decisions.
Good news is here - you don't need authority in order to lead!
There's a barbecue joint near my house. The barbecue is fantastic and the business is hugely successful. People line up for the barbecue an hour before the place opens. The restaurant's menu is focused on one key offering - the barbecue -and a couple of accompanying menu items - potato salad and cole slaw.
There's not much else on offer - no other sides, meat, or alcoholic beverages. The business is kept as simple and focused as possible, and it works well. This, however, is an exception, rather than the rule. Most businesses have no choice but to be complex.
Restructuring is tough, even when the need for it is widely acknowledged and supported across the organization. More often though, change is received with resistance.
As today's organizations grow more interconnected and complex, how can we ensure that our employees have all the skills and knowledge they need to be as effective as they can be?
Restructuring is painful and often ineffective, yet organizations keep restructuring every few years. The reason this keeps happening is because moving around boxes on the org chart does not solve the problems it aims to solve. So leaders try again, using another approach or perhaps, reverting to the previous structure. That doesn't work either, and restructuring is back on the books a few years later. Clearly, there's a need to look at restructuring from a new angle.
A project sponsor is probably the most overlooked role within the context of a project, and yet, this is the person that can play a key role in ensuring project success.
Executive coaching has been known to help entrepreneurs get their companies off the ground as well as support leaders stepping into new and challenging roles. But did you know that executive coaching can also help an organizational transformation initiative to take hold and thrive?
Here are three recommendations to help you get this process started by partnering with an executive coach.
Several recent studies have indicated that collaboration can hurt your organization and your best people, the most insightful and capable, the best team players. The truth, though, is that collaboration is typically misunderstood and improperly applied. So instead of blaming this problem on collaboration, leaders need to address the real causes of this situation.
As leaders, we are wired to be efficient, to not spin our wheels, and not waste resources. Working with others can sometimes get complicated and frustrating - far from efficient. Consensus, adoption, team participation may sound like a leader's worst nightmare, but here are our thoughts on how leading your team collaboratively is actually the way to achieve efficiency.
Nobody likes to be bossed around. Yet a strong boss who is able to direct the actions of others is the type of leader organizations often find desirable as their processes and relationships become more complex. Traditional hierarchy is often seen as the only solution to managing complexity. Lines of communication and command are clear. Roles are clear. Decision-making is firmly in the hands of a boss. Team members follow the boss's lead. In theory, this seems straightforward but it’s actually much more complicated.
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This introductory book will teach you the basics of the MM 2.0™ management operating system for improving any matrix organization.