Nuclear Family and Matrix Organizational Structure - Essay Example

Nuclear Family and two-in-a-box compared to matrix organizational structure The following article is a brief into how nuclear families andtwo in a box compare to matrix organizational structure in terms of differences and resemblances. The description starts off with bring introductions to the nuclear family system its advantages disadvantages along the same for the matrix organizational structure and commences with a critical analysis of how they match and differ amongst their main concepts. The Nuclear Family The nuclear family is a term used to classify a family group that mainly consists of a father, a mother and children. Please note here that the term extended family differs from the idea of a nuclear family. The size of the family can vary in terms of the number of children, but is only limited to a situation where there are only 2 parents i.e one father and one mother. In cases where the family cannot support itself and the 2 parent limitation is exceeded the family is better known as an extended family. The term extended family point to a situation where the immediate family members are living together with their own nuclear family and an extended family would comprise of grand parents, uncles, aunts etc. The nuclear family system has a number of advantages. The first one worth mentioning here is that there is no particular 'Head of The Family' and basically you are on your own. To put it in a colloquial representation there is basically no one to stop you from anything. Having labeled this as an advantage it is also worth mentioning that this can be a good or a bad thing. Since you are on your own you take your own decisions and therefore whatever the consequences of a particular be the person involves does not have to blame any one else but him/herself whenever a decision is thought bout in retrospect. The flip side to this is that normally the Head of a family has far more experience than the younger ones involved and normally the Head is in a better position to judge and decide if a particular step or decision can be helpful or not therefore in a nuclear family setup this fruit of experience is missed out. The next point is that you raise your children in your own style and there is rarely any interference from any elders. This again has both sides to it since having the choice of raising your kids your own way does help your kids to have orientations of the ways of life of the future and they don't have to be compliant to the standards of elders. At the same time again the experience of an elder of the family is missed out here. Compared to a joint family system in a nuclear family you earn and spend on your own luxuries without having to contribute anything towards the family pool. One note worthy issue here is that as soon as a marriage breaks the whole family come crumpling down in a nuclear family. As compared to this in a joint family the children of the broken marriage are normally taken care of by the grand parents. Two in a Box This concept is based on the idea of two leading roles in an organization/group where the two have different focuses as compared to each other but the two together help the organization move towards its goal in a very efficient manner. Matrix Organization In structure the team consists of multifunctional team members and encourages a horizontal communication and authority rather than the traditional vertical flow of authority. The matrix structure essentially abandons the concept of one boss or one head for a division/department. It normally enforces an amalgamation of individual skills by involving individuals from different departments; this structure is usually very effective for large projects or for a specific product's development. The way this structure works is that for a specific project, for which the matrix is enforced, the day to day progress report goes to the product of project head where as the individuals continue reporting for their over all performances to their main departmental head. The positive about this structure is that for a project the style of execution is not decided by the Head but stays in the hands of multiple individuals who have the liberty to mould it to their own likings. The matrix system enhances new behavioral patterns where the teams are encouraged to work together providing their individual skills for the achievement of the final single goal. At time the multiple command structure causes a bit of a problem in a situation where an individual finds it difficult to manage the tasks provided by the departmental head in comparison to the tasks assigned by the project head. Comparison A very major resemblance between a matrix structure and the nuclear family structure is the abolition of the idea of one boss/one head. Just like in the matrix structure there is no one single boss, in the nuclear family we don't have one head of the family. Another resemblance is the style of autonomy that comes with these structures. Both in matrix and nuclear the authority flows horizontally and does not follow the traditional vertical chain of command. The nuclear family also compares to the two-in-a-box where the parents act the two main individuals with their own approaches towards different situation virtually working in unison for the achievement of a specific goal. One main difference would be the fact that at the failure of a project the project manager gets the blame and the team does not necessarily breakup where as in a nuclear family the whole family comes falling down as soon as the marriage breaks up. Further to this even in a two-in-a-box the parting of one can be replaced by other and things can progress momentarily which stands does not stand true for a nuclear family situation. Matrix Pathologies The matrix structure, owing to the complexities in its nature, comes with a lot of difficulties. The multiple command and control may sound disastrous owing to the fact that its gives the traditional manager an idea of him/herself losing a considerable control over the sub-ordinates. This also owes to the primitive mind set of managers of having a total control of the division. Problem raised by the matrix structure are easily identifiable. The main resolve in my opinion is efficient communication throughout the organization to avoid any power conflicts. The managers having a first go at the structure should keep in mind the pathologies put forward to identify if the matrix is in danger of causing trouble to the organization. 1. Tendencies toward Anarchy Anarchy is usually caused by the idea that there is no one boss above the individual. The managers are primarily insecure with the matrix structure and companies moving on the fast paced growth model normally fail under an economic crunch. What usually happens is that the one of the commanding individual starts coordinating critical tasks which causes a shift from the real point of focus and this causes anarchy. The way to effectively prevent this is to have clear lines of communication and a very clearly set direction of when to do what. Lack of communication causes a gap which eventually pulls the whole structure down just because of a simple lack of communication and undefined paths in times of crunch. Right from the start the matrix design, at the time of implementation, should be well defined with every one in the loop as to what to do. In addition to this abandoning the one boss concept should be replaced by well understood information to every one involved as to what to do and when to do. Furthermore the set path should not be deviated from regardless of how difficult the situation gets. And eventually at times of disaster the sole head of the whole organization should pull in the critical people and facts and decide accordingly. 2. Power Struggle One problem the matrix struggle inherits is the struggle for power. The tug of war continues as organizations run in the matrix structure. What give rise to it are the multiple command concepts. The managers keep on trying to win the shift which gives further rise to unhealthy competition. One effective way to avoid this is to have the managers know that winning the shift would mean losing the whole share. Apart from this there is a dire need to encouraging healthy competition amongst the managers. 3. Severe Groupitis Matrix is at times confused with group decision making. Though it is true that in a matrix structure the decision is not taken individually, but to think that the whole organization works in the group decision structure is a mistake. The only way to prevent it is to educate the managers and draw a hard line between group decision and individual decisions so that any confusion can be avoided. 4. Excessive Overhead Matrix structure, owing to double command concept, is thought to have excessive overhead costs associated to it. This does not always hold true. Even if an organization delves into over staffing due to a matrix structure the efficiency gained due to the mere deployment of it causes great gains in productivity and balances out any extra cost or over staffing. A simple way to really prevent any actual over staffing, which does not add to productivity gains, is to see if there are any redundancies in the human resource available to the organization and get rid of it to avoid excessive costs. 5. Sinking to lower levels The matrix structure is easily believed to fall to the lower levels of organizations. The truth behind it might be the fact that it's adjusting to the actually efficient level it is supposed to be deployed at. To prevent this scenario is to initially deploy it to the level which is most appropriate for it. 6. Uncontrolled Layering Since the matrix structure flows across different it is said to incorporate too many layers which causes problems at times. This problem normally causes power struggles within the matrix .The best approach to avoid is to do a thorough task analysis before having the matrix structure in place. 7. Navel Gazing Matrix causes the individual to, at times; isolate them from the rest of the world. The main reason is that they are so involved with the internal negotiations that at times the real customers get neglected. The prevention for this is to communicate the effected areas to the individuals so that they stay in touch with the outside world as well. 8. Decision Strangulation Since matrix supports a group decision at times the decision gets delayed to indefinite period causing a slow down in the process. This also causes a slow down in the problem escalation since the in command individual for a project might be at a very high post. Light-weight VS Heavy-weight Matrix Light-weight Matrix Matrix is essentially an amalgamation of the functional and the project level of specializations. In the light weight matrix the shift is towards the functional specialization. There is a product manager specifically with the task of coordinating the project activities through communication with a dedicated resource from each department. They only facilitate the progress of the project in terms of resolving issue that might slow down the project. They don't have any considerable command over the operation resources for any project since their main focus is only to coordinate the working of the project. In this form of matrix the problem of dual command is avoided all together since the product head does not have direct access to any of the working levels and the only point of communication if the departmental point of contact. Any issue that needs a resolution gets communicated to the point of contact as well. The eventual resolution becomes the problem of the departmental head. Another ease rising from this is that since the functional head is responsible the issues of power struggle does not occur. There is not need for any balance of power since the working layer is reporting to only one head. The decision stays with in a small group of product related representatives from each functional division therefore the issue of the decision getting delayed also gets wiped out. Heavy-weight Matrix In this form the functional specialization gets the back seat and the project structure dominates the scenario. Multiple commands exist with a considerable dominance and the structure also gets prone to the usual matrix pathologies which include power struggle, decision strangulation, naval gazing etc. A project oriented flow is followed and the functional team devotes a major chunk of their work time to the project. This also causes the product team taking over too many projects causing congestion in the work situation. This works very well for project-driven firms e.g construction firms etc. The main advantage of this approach is that the key people are deployed at key projects thus minimizing costs. At the same time the right balance needs to be there for the organization to work in unison with its visions. This balance also causes the stress to be balanced between the teams and a group like effort is made for resolution of problems. Read More