The primary goal of a matrix structure is to produce necessary conflict between competing goals.

All organisations have competing goals. For example, delivering results in the short term versus developing the capability of staff.

Matrix organisation structures are designed to produce necessary conflict between those competing goals. The structures may be more or less complicated depending on what conflict you want to produce and practically how much complexity your organisation can handle.

In order to be effective with a matrix structure, the organisation generally needs to be good at dealing with conflict. If your goal is to avoid necessary conflict, there are simpler alternatives.

The first matrix structure I was exposed to seemed pointless mainly because it wasn’t clear to anyone that the goal was to produce necessary conflict and therefore the structure just seemed to get in the way of the one goal we chose to focus on.

I didn’t really get the point until learning from Mary Poppendieck about how Toyota uses matrix structures and then later from reading Designing Matrix Organizations that Actually Work.