The problem with Matrix Organizations – from Office Space

This sums up how frustrated employees feel in a matrixed environment:

Peter Gibbons: I have eight different bosses right now.

Bob Slydell: I beg your pardon?

Peter Gibbons: Eight bosses.

Bob Slydell: Eight?

Peter Gibbons: Eight, Bob. So that means that when I make a mistake, I have eight different people coming by to tell me about it. That’s my only real motivation is not to be hassled, that and the fear of losing my job. But you know, Bob, that will only make someone work just hard enough not to get fired.

AgileDC 2013

Discussion of The Benefits of Dedicated Teams at the AgileDc 2013 Conference.

AgileDC 2013 – The Benefits of Dedicated Teams

AgileDC 2013 – The Benefits of Dedicated Teams

Yesterday I spoke at the 2013 AgileDC conference at Gallaudet University.  It was a great experience!  The AgileDC folks did a great job organizing the conference.  My presentation was titled “The Benefits of Dedicated Teams:  How Agile is Changing the Structure of Service Organizations”.  This was my first time presenting my research study to the public outside of my dissertation defense.  The presentation and topic were well received.  I had quite a few people follow up with me and want to discuss my experiences and study results in more detail, so there was some genuine interest in my area of research.

Here is a link to my presentation.  If you attended, please let me know what you think!  Is employee job satisfaction and communication just as important as productivity?