Matrix models don’t fail because the structure is wrong. They fail because no one invests in helping people actually work differently.
I’ve lived this. Years ago, I was part of an organization that shifted to a matrix model overnight. No preparation. No shared understanding of how decisions would get made. No time spent on relationships or norms.
The result? Months of swirl. Lost productivity. People trying to figure out how to work together while simultaneously protecting their own real estate. It was only after the disaster became undeniable that leaders were finally pulled together to have the conversations that should have happened before the change.
That memory is why I’m so energized by a current engagement with a privately-funded tech company. They’re implementing matrix, cross-functional teams between operations and customer delivery—not a massive reorg, but a meaningful shift in how work gets done.
And instead of announcing “now work this way, let it be so” and hoping for the best, the executive team made a different choice. They engaged me to work with these teams intentionally—to build relationships, establish norms, set priorities, and align on accountabilities. To co-create a playbook for how to work, not just a new org chart with some dotted lines.
In our first session, I watched one leader realize this wasn’t going to be done to them, but that they’d actually have a voice in shaping how this works. You could see their shoulders drop. Their energy shifted.
That’s what it looks like when an executive team exercises real foresight. They’re not just restructuring: they’re investing in the conditions that let a new structure actually succeed.
The box on the org chart is the easy part. The hard part—and the part that matters—is everything that happens inside it.
Hey there! I’m a leadership team whisperer, executive coach, and speaker. I guide leadership teams in high-growth companies to achieve rapid growth in a healthy, sustainable way. I coach senior leaders to discover the path to lead with ease.
Like this post? Want to see more? Connect with me on LinkedIn.
Recent Comments