Chapter 27. Virtual Collaboration in a Matrix Organization

Amy Kates Paul J. Erickson

The matrix structure is an increasingly common feature on the business landscape. As firms grow more complex and more geographically dispersed, leaders are confronted with the question of how to integrate and align staff who work in remote locations and need to be deployed on several projects simultaneously. The need to integrate resources and reconcile opposing objectives creates the challenge of designing mechanisms that will foster true collaboration instead of simple compromise. In an effort to achieve multiple strategic objectives with the smallest number of resources, many organizations are using matrix reporting relationships as a way to link disparate parts of the organization and encourage collaboration.