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If you’ve ever worked in a matrix organization —  one where people report to more than one person — you’ll know that it can come with benefits and challenges in nearly equal measure (remember Peter’s eight bosses in the cult classic movie, Office Space ?). Certainly, cross-functional teams can enhance agility and reduce redundancies, yet dual reporting structures can lead to confusion and conflict. And this doesn’t just apply to new employees; it can be a struggle regardless of tenure. In fact, a client of mine is on an executive leadership team that has been working together for three years, and decision-making is still opaque, creating swirl and an inability to react to market opportunities. 

A majority of workers (84 percent) work in a company with some degree of this tricky structure, ranging from "slightly”  to "highly” matrixed; employees who occasionally work on multiple teams to those working across teams every day. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to effectively align people and processes to achieve the company’s objectives. Here’s how. 

Clarity and cooperation

In these organizations, it can be easy for wires to get crossed. Perhaps unsurprisingly, people that work in highly matrixed org structures are less likely to know what is expected of them at work. If you’re not aligned with your fellow leaders when it comes to resources and incentives, your employees will be working against each other instead of working together. With leadership alignment , your people will know what they need to do and what to leave for other teams. Since you’ll be working closely with other leaders, it’s wise to cultivate strong partnerships with them, working together as equals to solve problems, improve processes, or to create something new. In a matrix structure, cooperation is the name of the game, not competition . Strong relationships with your fellow managers will make it easier to share resources and accommodate each other’s needs. If you’re an executive, this should be your top priority with your team of peers . This will provide you with a framework for the win/win outcomes that great partnerships produce. 

Ask yourself: What resources do my team need? How can I align with the other leaders with whom I share team members so that we both are able to accomplish our objectives? 

Agree on what success looks like 

Different leaders and teams have varying priorities, and it’s wise to know what success looks like to each leader and how that relates to your organization’s larger goals. Your individual definitions of success won’t necessarily be the same at first, yet how each of your ideas is linked to your organization’s greater goals should be what guides you toward your shared vision. Look for commonalities, and come together to settle on something that can benefit all of you. When sharing this with your team, be consistent in your communications to make sure there’s no room for misunderstandings. 

After you align on your vision of success, define what milestones should be achieved and the timeframe along the way. Milestones also help in breaking down large organizational goals into smaller, more manageable tasks, allowing your team to focus on specific, short-term objectives, that make the overall vision seem less daunting. By evaluating your team’s momentum at pivotal moments, potential issues or risks can be identified early. Make sure that everyone — leaders and team members alike — is clear on both your shared vision and that how you’ll measure their progress. 

Ask yourself: What would shift for your team if you aligned incentives across departments by 5%? 10%? 

Communicate the “right” way 

There are more ways to communicate than ever before, and while it can make collaboration more efficient, things can easily get lost in the shuffle if you’re utilizing too many methods at once. The means of communication matter, and using the right tools at the right time can facilitate the flow of information across the team. Everyone should agree on ways of communication as part of their working norms. So much can be misconstrued in a brief written message, particularly now, with five different generations in the workplace. 

You know those memes that say, “this meeting could have been an email”? Keep that in mind when you’re leading a matrixed organization. Surveys have shown that those in highly matrixed organizations spend more time in meetings. It’s a finding that is concerning when you take into account a 2023 Microsoft study that found that we now spend three times more in meetings per week than we did February 2020 — a 192 percent increase . Of course, meetings are necessary and powerful education tools, but too many can drain time and energy, and can be a source of stress for both employees and managers. Make sure to check in with your team to find out how they’re spending their time during the day. If they are spending all day in meetings, figure out what can be eliminated, either with the employee or with your fellow leaders. It's not helpful to the business if folks are being informed or sharing information all day instead of actually doing the work.

As an alternative, try using quick, direct, and efficient means to communicate in addition to your in-person meetings. Instant messaging apps, tracking tools, and file-sharing can help you to co-create, ask questions, and keep projects moving forward. This can be especially helpful for internal teams at the executive level, whose members often have packed schedules. These tools can help you see who is making things happen organizationally and how they are making that progress. 

Ask yourself: What conversations are needed to improve communication in and across teams? 

By fostering strong partnerships and aligning on shared definitions of success, leaders can create a cohesive and agile environment that propels organizational goals forward. Remember, thriving in this structure is about more than just managing tasks—it's about cultivating a culture of collaboration and mutual understanding that drives lasting success. To quote Henry Ford, "If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself." 

What kind of leader do you want to be? Let’s talk about it. 

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