Matrix Management Wiki
Home » The Relationship Management Key » 6D. Nonpartnership Relationships
- 6D1. The nature of relationships in VM 1.0/MM 1.0 is that of having power on the one hand, and being disempowered on the other.
- 6D1i. Since the only true relationship in VM 1.0 is between the boss and the subordinate, the boss has the power and the subordinate is disempowered.
- 6D1ia. Each boss, except for the CEO, is also a subordinate, and therefore all levels within the vertical organization experience disempowerment. The only truly empowered person is the CEO or head of the organization.
- 6D1ib. When one is in the state of having “power over”, one is said to be a “controller”. When one is on the receiving end of the power over state, one is said to be the “controlled”. This is an example of a nonpartnership relationship, because the two parties are not equals.
- 6D1ii. In MM 1.0, there are also some formal non-authority relationships, such as sponsor/leader, customer/supplier, or team leader/team member.
- 6D1iia. These tend to be managed as controller/controlled relationships as well.
- 6D1iib. The idea that the customer is “king” is an example of an unequal, nonpartnership relationship, which is prevalent in MM 1.0.
- 6D2. Nonpartnership relationships are win-lose relationships. One person feels victorious and the other feels vanquished.
- 6D2i. These do NOT create a) an optimized organization, b) a high state of morale, c) an empowered leadership team or workforce, d) high-performing teams, or e) a culture of success.
