Relationship Between the Degree of Matrix Management Challenges and the Level of Satisfaction of Clients of Wishcraft Inc.

Abstract

Competitive markets contributed to the need for immediate action in the business setting. A lot of companies today aim for growth by venturing on more diverse products and/or services. On the other hand, customers prefer one-stop-shop companies where almost all their needs can be found. Customers are consequently becoming more meticulous in choosing product and service providers because of this increasing competition. Quality is just as important as the cost. Companies needed an organizational system that considers all the trends mentioned. Matrix management, where members of an organization "are subjected to dual managerial authority and the relative influence of functional and product or project managers on decisionmaking is in balance" was one of the solutions. Matrix organizations are seen as bringing more success because it can focus on customer service and speed of delivery. However there is a possibility that the opposite happens instead - that the quality of services and products decrease. Since an employee is dealing with two or more things simultaneously, his or her focus and effort are divided and thus may result to a mediocre output. From this developed an idea that matrix management and its relationship with level of satisfaction of clients is an interesting and significant topic to explore. The main objective of this study is to find out the relationship between matrix management challenges experienced by employees and level of satisfaction of clients of Wishcraft Inc. This study can serve as new knowledge to Organizational Communication students and to people who might be interested in matrix structures. This can also help managers in determining the proper organizational process for their company. This design of this study is exploratory. Purposive sampling was done to ensure that all respondents are under the matrix structure. The clients, however, were chosen by Wishcraft. Pearson's Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient was used to determine the relationship of the two variables. Generally, Wishcraft employees experience matrix management challenges very seldom. Client satisfaction on the other hand was high. Results also showed that there is a strong relationship between two of the matrix challenges (managing conflicting priorities and living with ambiguity) and the level of client satisfaction. The relationships are positive which may mean that the more an individual experiences either of the mentioned challenges, the more their clients get satisfied. Looking at this study, Wishcraft managing partners need not worry right away if their employees experience matrix challenges. Moreover, they should retain their current organizational system. Organizational leaders in general can use these challenges to their advantage. This study can be implemented in a different type of organization. Future studies can also conduct this study with the use of qualitative method to gather more in-depth information. Researchers who plan to focus on matrix organizations should devote plenty of time for gathering data. They can also make a comparative study on organizations that experience matrix challenges differently. Lastly, a study on matrix challenges and its effect on employee satisfaction can be done.