THE EDUCATION OF A CEO: AN ARTICLE REVIEW
"The Education of a CEO" (Mehler 18-22) reviews the activities of a new chief executive officer (CEO) at iXL Enterprises, a new-economy firm that was in danger of crashing along with others such firms in the dot.com bust. Among other steps implanted by the new CEO were (1) a matrix organizational structure for the firm, (2) a reallocation of organizational resources to improve the capacity of the firm to respond to customer demands, and (3) the application of project management processes in the development of customer solutions. This article review focuses on the following points:
The implementation of the matrix organizational structure at the firm
The reallocation of organizational resources at the firm
Qualities affecting leadership effectiveness and the relationship of these qualities to effective project management
Organizational influences on leadership effectiveness
The applicability of the project management professional code of ethics to organizational leadership
Implementation of the Matrix Organizational Structure
When Chris Formant, the new CEO, joined iXL Enterprises, he found an organizational structure in place that provided no coordination between the service lines offered by the firm and the industry groups targeted by the firm. He determined that the solution to this problem was the implementation of a matrix organizational structure (Mehler 21).
Most organizational structures are product/process- or functional-based. Mixed organizational structures, however, have long been common. The hybrid organizational structure attempts to combine the advantages of both product/process-based and functional-based structures. The matrix organizational structure groups staff into functional areas, with temporary assignments to special project groups, or teams. Such special project teams are multi-functional in character. This approach to organization produ...