Dawn Metcalfe 
Managing the Matrix 
The Secret to Surviving and Thriving in Your Organization

A comprehensive guide to excelling in a complex matrix
organization

Debra was not in a good mood as she entered Johann’s
office for their third meeting. One of her colleagues had just been
promoted and, although the guy who got it was good, she
didn’t think he was any better than her. Well, except at one
thing, he was always playing politics – sucking up to the more
senior guys and volunteering to be on any committee going.

Debra knew the type – went to the same school, belonged to
the same club – she didn’t have a hope against the kind of
connections he had so she might as well give up. It seemed doing a
good job just wasn’t enough around here.

Debra and Johann work in an environment with multiple and
complex reporting lines – in other words, a matrix.
There’s room to ’slip between the cracks‘ –
if a person wants to take advantage of confusion over who is
managing performance; or if they can’t make the necessary
transition to self-management. Communication can be difficult even
when there is an apparently shared language.

Read how Johann and Debra work together to identify the skills
needed to succeed in a matrix, and how using Emotional Intelligence
(EI) can develop specific behaviours you can incorporate in your
daily job. The result will help reduce stress and increase
your chances of success.

Dawn Metcalfe, Managing Director of PDS, based in Dubai, uses
her experience as a coach and trainer to give us a behind the
curtain look at how mentoring can help an individual develop the
skills they need to survive and thrive in today’s complex
work environments.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction ix

1 The Challenge is Set 1

2 Laying the Cards on the Table 11

3 Preparing for Change 27

4 Working on Objectives 35

5 How Quickly We Forget 51

6 The Matrix – the Good, the Bad and the Ugly 55

7 What do the Successes in the Matrix do? 71

8 Defining EI 81

9 A Short and (Emotionally) Intelligent Review 103

10 Working Out How EI Can Help 107

11 Why IQ isn’t Enough 125

12 Learning EI 139

13 Fake It Until You Make It 149

14 How Managers Can Help Improve EI 175

15 Understanding the Importance of Culture and Strong Leadership in the Matrix 181

Epilogue 193

Acknowledgements 199

About the Author 203

Useful Resources 207

Über den Autor

Dawn Metcalfe is the Managing Director of Performance Development Services (PDS) and an experienced trainer, facilitator and coach who works across a wide range of industries.

Her clients are usually already highly effective and skilled people who wish to consider new tools that might help them as they face their next challenge.

Dawn has extensive experience of working with different cultures having lived and worked in the UK, France, Spain, Japan, China and now Dubai where she is based.

Dawn works regularly with board directors, senior managers and top management teams across the region to improve performance by changing the way individuals and groups see the world and the impact they have on it and others.

Performance Development Services (PDS) helps individuals, teams and organizations change behaviour and improve performance through 1:1 Executive Coaching, mentoring or delivering Leadership and Management Development Programmes.