From: Dundar Kocaoglu [mailto:
kocaoglu@etm.pdx.edu]
You might want to check the "Project Management and Systems Analysis" book
by
David I. Cleland and William R. King (McGraw-Hill) for a definition and
explanation of the matrix organization. I believe the first edition is dated
1968.
Dundar F. Kocaoglu
===========================================================================
=
Dundar F. Kocaoglu, Ph.D., Fellow, IEEE
e-mail:
kocaoglu@etm.pdx.edu
Professor & Chair, Engineering and Technology Management Dept.
http://www.etm.pdx.edu
and President & CEO, PICMET
http://www.picmet.org
Portland State University
Phone: +1 503-725-4660
Portland, OR 97207-0751, USA
Fax: +1 503-725-4667
===========================================================================
=
-----Original Message-----
From: Thomas Sy [mailto:
tsy@csulb.edu]
Sent: Friday, January 16, 2004 3:20 PM
To:
MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
Subject: Re: History of Matrix Management
Romie,
This might be helpful - it's an excerpt from one of my articles on matrix
organizations:
By its simplest definition, the matrix is a grid-like organizational
structure that allows a company to address multiple business dimensions
using
multiple command structures. The matrix organizational form emerged in the
aerospace industry during the 1960's as government contracts required a
project-based system linked directly to top management (Knight, 1977).
Citations that might be helpful:
Knight, K., Matrix Management. (New York: PBI, 1977).
Kolodny, H. F. "Evolution to a matrix organization," Academy of Management
Review (Volume 4, 1979): 543-553. Lawrence, P. R., Kolodny, H. F., and
Davis,
S. M. "The Human Side of the Matrix," Organizational Dynamics (Summer,
1977):
43-61.
Frank is right that the bulk of the literature appears to have been
published
in the 1970's and early 1980's. I'm not sure if there's "one" individual
who
can be credited with the terminology.
Tom
Thomas Sy, PhD
California State University Long Beach
Dept. Of Management/Human Resources Mgmt.
College of Business Administration
1250 Bellflower Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90840-8502
Ph.: (562) 985-1526
Fax: (562) 985-4557
-----Original Message-----
From: Management Education and Development Discussion
[mailto:
MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU] On Behalf Of Charles Wankel
Sent: Friday, January 16, 2004 1:39 PM
To:
MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
Subject: Re: History of Matrix Management
From: Frank Bell [mailto:
frankwbell@aol.com]
Romie Littrell wrote on 1/15/2004, 2:07 PM:
> Can anyone identify who coined the phrase "matrix
> management" and when, and perhaps a reference?
I can't say who originated it, but I first heard the term in the mid-1970's,
when I was a young whippersnapper. I got the impression that the concept
originated either in business or government in terms of managing complex
engineering or construction projects.
[EDITORIAL MODE ON]
We used to cynically refer to it as the "dotted lines" on the org. chart.
Personally, I never saw a dotted line that could compete with the solid line
from an employee to his or her boss.
But consulting firms earned, or at least billed, a lot for drawing them
dotted lines.
If they can't work together now, moving the lines around probably won't
help.
[EDITORIAL MODE OFF]
Frank "Now I'm an old whippersnapper" Bell