Answer:

I don’t know of much research that has been done on the topic, mainly because it isn’t very common. Although with organizations becoming more matrixed, I suspect it will become commonplace. In the cases I have seen, it usually doesn’t work very well, unless it’s thoughtfully managed. Perhaps this column will generate some responses from people who have some additional experience and advice to share.

This co-managing phenomenon occurs in situations where two specialties are required in one job. In your case, technicians need engineering expertise as well as operational know-how to produce a product. In other cases, sales professionals may need engineering expertise to sell a high-tech product. In health care, a radiologist, for example, may work in a special section of the hospital, delivering service to a special population.

For example, I am working with an organization that has set up a special Pediatric Health Center within the hospital. To staff the Center, employees with special expertise were assigned from areas such as Radiology and Lab.

These employees still report to their former managers in their own departments, and don’t formally “report to” the new head of the Pediatric Center. As you might expect, the head of the Center started to experience some difficulties when it came to trying to direct the activities of these employees, since she had no real authority over them.

The employees have two people to answer to—always a tricky situation. The Center has specific goals and at the same time, the Radiology Department and other department heads have their own set of goals and commitments that their employees must meet. The employees are in the middle. And typically, the respective managers end up wrestling over resources.

Sometimes a workable solution involves a “solid line” and a “dotted line” reporting relationship that is clearly defined. For example, in the case of the clinic employees, we determined that the clinic goals were more primary than the respective departmental goals for these employees. However, the employees were concerned about losing their technical expertise, if they didn’t have some connection to their specialty departments. How would they keep their skills up-to-date? Who could they ask for coaching on a tough case? How could they stay visible for other hospital opportunities?

The solution seems to be in a negotiated relationship with both areas. For instance, the solid line reporting relationship should be to the Clinic, since their outcomes must be aligned with the vision and mission of the clinic. The head of the Clinic should be able to direct their work, give them feedback and have authority over how they spend their time.

To meet the employee’s needs for technical and career growth, they have a dotted line reporting relationship with the department head of their specialty. This will assure they will stay visible and viable and enable them to tap resources.

The Clinic head will consult the respective department heads when it comes to employees’ performance reviews and ask for help with career development opportunities, such as directing an employee in a special research project.

I believe that in order for this to work, the employee has to have one boss. In other words, while it sounds good in theory for an employee to have an operations manager and an engineering manager, in the end, one has to be primary. In your case, the operations manager may carry more weight, since he or she has the bottom line responsibility for getting the product out the door. Trying to have two managers is more complicated, prone to conflict and costly.

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