• Home
  • Services
    • Culture & Global Mindedness >
      • Organisational Culture
      • Global Engagement with Impact
      • Expat Optimiser Coaching Program
      • Consulting & Strategy for Global Thinking Organisations >
        • HR Intercultural Support >
          • Select Globally Aware People
          • Managing Expatriate & Returning Staff
        • Customised Solutions
    • Matrix & Collaboration >
      • Matrix & Collaboration Courses >
        • Executive Masterclass in Matrix Optimisation
        • The Collaborative Leader
        • Passport to Collaborative Working
        • The Collaborative Communicator
        • Matrix Certification Course - Overview >
          • Matrix Certification HI Course
        • Matrix Maturity Model Overview
      • Build Successful Teams >
        • Photo-Reflection
      • The VUCA Business Partner
    • Engaging Leadership >
      • Lead 2 Engage >
        • Global Engagement Framework - Overview
      • L2E Inner Circle >
        • Inner Circle Enrol
        • Inner Circle Interest
        • IC Learning Circle 2:20
        • IC Learning Circle 3:20
        • IC Learning Circle 4:20
        • IC Learning Circle 5.20
        • IC Learning Circle 6.20
        • IC Learning Circle 7.21
        • IC Learning Circle 9.21
        • IC Learning Circle 10.21
        • IC Learning Circle 11.21
        • IC Learning Circle 12.21
      • Lead 2 Remotely Engage
      • Coaching Engaging Leaders
      • L2E Certification Course - Overview
    • Digital Badging & Credentials
  • Resources
    • Pivot Potential Performance
    • "3 Things" Webinar Series
    • "Leadership Break" Series
    • The Remote Teaming Toolkit
    • The Resilient Expat
  • Insights
  • About Us
    • Our Team
    • Our Reach
    • Our Clients
    • Cultural Acknowledgement
    • Privacy
    • Hofstede Insights Australasia >
      • Webinars & Resources
      • OC Certification - Sydney 2019
  • Contact
  • Acceuil
  • Nos Services
    • Leadership Engageant >
      • Les Cercles de Leadership
      • Lead 2 Engage à distance
      • Former des Leaders Engageants
      • Aperçu de la Certification L2E
    • Collaborer en Environnement Matriciel >
      • Développer des Organisations Connectées et Dynamiques >
        • Communiquer en Transverse
        • Le Leader Transverse
        • Executive Masterclass: Optimiser une organisation matricielle​
        • Passeport pour Collaborer en Transverse
        • Cours de certification Matrix - Aperçu
        • Le Modèle de Maturité Matricielle
      • Former des équipes gagnantes
      • L'associé d'affaires VUCA
    • Management Interculturel et Mobilité Internationale >
      • Engager ses collaborateurs mondialement
      • Coaching de performance et d’intégration des expatriés
      • Consulting et Strategie Pour Organisations Mondiales >
        • Support des politiques de mobilité internationale >
          • Choisir des personnes compétentes et conscientes des enjeux mondiaux
          • Gestion du personnel expatrié et de retour au pays
        • Solutions sur mesure
  • Ressources
    • Série webinaires "3 idées pour..."
    • La Boîte à Outils de l'Equipe en Télétravail
    • Manuel de l'expatrié résilient
  • Blog
  • A Propos
    • Notre équipe
    • Pontevalle dans le monde
    • Nos Clients
  • Contact
  • ホーム
  • サービスメニュー
    • 多文化協働のためのグローバルマインドセット >
      • 異文化マネジメントワークショップ
      • 海外駐在最適化コーチング
      • レジリエンスを高めて海外駐在を成功させる >
        • 購入する
    • マトリックス組織と協働 >
      • コース >
        • マトリクス・リーダー
        • クロスファンクショナル・コミュニケーター
        • リレーショナル・ビジネスパートナー
      • 成功するチームを創生する >
        • Winning Together(共に勝つ)プロジェクトチーム
      • ニューロチェンジ・ソリューション >
        • ニューロチェンジ・コース
      • コンサルティングと戦略 >
        • 戦略アラインメントワークショップ
    • エンゲージングリーダーシップ >
      • エンゲージメントワークショップ >
        • Lead 2 Engageエンゲージメントのためのリーダーシップ
        • 変革がもたらすエンゲージメント
      • エンゲージングリーダーへのコーチング
      • 学生向けプログラム >
        • 学生向けLead 2 Engag
        • 学生向けWinning Together ワークショップ
        • 異文化適応力育成
    • オンラインリソース
  • ブログ
  • 私達について
    • 私達のチーム
    • グローバルリーチ
    • お客様
  • お問い合わせ
  • Ponte Blog
We believe in Winning Together
  • Home
  • Services
    • Culture & Global Mindedness >
      • Organisational Culture
      • Global Engagement with Impact
      • Expat Optimiser Coaching Program
      • Consulting & Strategy for Global Thinking Organisations >
        • HR Intercultural Support >
          • Select Globally Aware People
          • Managing Expatriate & Returning Staff
        • Customised Solutions
    • Matrix & Collaboration >
      • Matrix & Collaboration Courses >
        • Executive Masterclass in Matrix Optimisation
        • The Collaborative Leader
        • Passport to Collaborative Working
        • The Collaborative Communicator
        • Matrix Certification Course - Overview >
          • Matrix Certification HI Course
        • Matrix Maturity Model Overview
      • Build Successful Teams >
        • Photo-Reflection
      • The VUCA Business Partner
    • Engaging Leadership >
      • Lead 2 Engage >
        • Global Engagement Framework - Overview
      • L2E Inner Circle >
        • Inner Circle Enrol
        • Inner Circle Interest
        • IC Learning Circle 2:20
        • IC Learning Circle 3:20
        • IC Learning Circle 4:20
        • IC Learning Circle 5.20
        • IC Learning Circle 6.20
        • IC Learning Circle 7.21
        • IC Learning Circle 9.21
        • IC Learning Circle 10.21
        • IC Learning Circle 11.21
        • IC Learning Circle 12.21
      • Lead 2 Remotely Engage
      • Coaching Engaging Leaders
      • L2E Certification Course - Overview
    • Digital Badging & Credentials
  • Resources
    • Pivot Potential Performance
    • "3 Things" Webinar Series
    • "Leadership Break" Series
    • The Remote Teaming Toolkit
    • The Resilient Expat
  • Insights
  • About Us
    • Our Team
    • Our Reach
    • Our Clients
    • Cultural Acknowledgement
    • Privacy
    • Hofstede Insights Australasia >
      • Webinars & Resources
      • OC Certification - Sydney 2019
  • Contact
  • Acceuil
  • Nos Services
    • Leadership Engageant >
      • Les Cercles de Leadership
      • Lead 2 Engage à distance
      • Former des Leaders Engageants
      • Aperçu de la Certification L2E
    • Collaborer en Environnement Matriciel >
      • Développer des Organisations Connectées et Dynamiques >
        • Communiquer en Transverse
        • Le Leader Transverse
        • Executive Masterclass: Optimiser une organisation matricielle​
        • Passeport pour Collaborer en Transverse
        • Cours de certification Matrix - Aperçu
        • Le Modèle de Maturité Matricielle
      • Former des équipes gagnantes
      • L'associé d'affaires VUCA
    • Management Interculturel et Mobilité Internationale >
      • Engager ses collaborateurs mondialement
      • Coaching de performance et d’intégration des expatriés
      • Consulting et Strategie Pour Organisations Mondiales >
        • Support des politiques de mobilité internationale >
          • Choisir des personnes compétentes et conscientes des enjeux mondiaux
          • Gestion du personnel expatrié et de retour au pays
        • Solutions sur mesure
  • Ressources
    • Série webinaires "3 idées pour..."
    • La Boîte à Outils de l'Equipe en Télétravail
    • Manuel de l'expatrié résilient
  • Blog
  • A Propos
    • Notre équipe
    • Pontevalle dans le monde
    • Nos Clients
  • Contact
  • ホーム
  • サービスメニュー
    • 多文化協働のためのグローバルマインドセット >
      • 異文化マネジメントワークショップ
      • 海外駐在最適化コーチング
      • レジリエンスを高めて海外駐在を成功させる >
        • 購入する
    • マトリックス組織と協働 >
      • コース >
        • マトリクス・リーダー
        • クロスファンクショナル・コミュニケーター
        • リレーショナル・ビジネスパートナー
      • 成功するチームを創生する >
        • Winning Together(共に勝つ)プロジェクトチーム
      • ニューロチェンジ・ソリューション >
        • ニューロチェンジ・コース
      • コンサルティングと戦略 >
        • 戦略アラインメントワークショップ
    • エンゲージングリーダーシップ >
      • エンゲージメントワークショップ >
        • Lead 2 Engageエンゲージメントのためのリーダーシップ
        • 変革がもたらすエンゲージメント
      • エンゲージングリーダーへのコーチング
      • 学生向けプログラム >
        • 学生向けLead 2 Engag
        • 学生向けWinning Together ワークショップ
        • 異文化適応力育成
    • オンラインリソース
  • ブログ
  • 私達について
    • 私達のチーム
    • グローバルリーチ
    • お客様
  • お問い合わせ
  • Ponte Blog
English | Français

Conduit Management - an essential matrix leadership skill

15/1/2021

1 Comment

 
Picture
One of the single biggest contributors to successful matrix leadership is conduit management.  Yet, despite the positive impact of conduit management, it tends only to be a way of working that is taken for granted by those for whom it comes naturally.  For most matrix leaders, conduit management tends to be an afterthought or not thought of at all! 


So what is conduit management? ​​

In simple terms, it is being able to anticipate, collate and decode information from many sources (eg; their managers, key stakeholders etc…) and then pass a single message on to their team that is balanced, accurate, authentic and respects the integrity of all involved.
To understand the role of conduit management, lets consider a recent scenario we observed in a large manufacturing firm. The national head of Operations was preparing for an ERP roll out across the country, including four large manufacturing sites. The single biggest issue he faced was the conflicting opinions held by his two managers:

  • The country head, also his line manager, felt that it was the wrong product and also disagreed with the timing and approach proposed by the global project team. 
 
  • On the other hand his functional manager, the regional head of operations, agreed with the proposed ERP and the aggressive timetable proposed by the global project team. 

This is a big example; yet it is the sort of scenario we see played out on many levels.  The fact remained though, that irrespective of whether the two managers could find common ground, the roll out would still occur.  The other more difficult reality was that if his direct reports or the wider manufacturing workforce caught on that there was a difference of opinion at senior levels of the organisation, this could add greater complexity to an already arduous roll out that had involved internal politics and a long  tiresome process of ERP selection. 


How to provide a focused message to the workforce?

If we look at this type of situation through a conduit management lens, what sort of actions can help to  decongest the pipeline and assist the matrix leader with providing a single and focused message to the workforce?

The first step is to seek alignment, or a common position between your managers.  Ideally this is done face to face, or at worst, in a single conversation over the phone or online.  It allows for a dialogue on the topic and for your managers to hear your perspective.  Don’t be surprised if you find that there has been little to no dialogue between your managers on the topic!

If your managers can’t find common ground, then seek to establish an agreement for moving forward.  This is a simple facilitated meeting that results in a contract between you and your managers, that explicitly states the following:

  • That there is a shared understanding of the end game – irrespective of your individual perspectives on the situation
  • How your managers will support you in the process 
  • An agreed process for how you will communicate and share information with each other throughout the process - in other words setting each other up for success.

If you can achieve either of the above outcomes, you’ve gone a long way towards setting up an easier to manage conduit between those above you, and the people who look to you for key messages.  Importantly, it also reduces the impact and instances of gossip that tend to blossom in the chasm of differing opinions.

Conduit management is also about how you lead in a matrix on a daily basis.  Naturally it comes to the foreground in times of change, however effective conduit management can contribute to the development of your leadership tool kit in other ways:

It helps develop critical thinking and decision-making skills. You will receive many pieces of information from those above and around you – deciding what is important to pass on, and who should receive it isn’t always easy.  Sometimes it seems easier to push it to one side and hope that it takes care of itself!  However good conduit management is about learning how to synthesise information that may contain different opinions (sometimes from the same person!) and interpret what’s really being said when making a decision on what you will pass on, and how.

It creates opportunities for communication and strengthens relationships.  The beating heart of a matrix organisation is relationships.  Relationships with your team are equally as important as those in your network and those with your own manager/s.  An effective conduit manager is on the front foot with relationships, because they understand that there is greater clarity through dialogue and free-flowing communication.  

By leveraging your network, you can anticipate where conflicting messages come from and make your own evaluation on whether they are grounded in reality or just gossip.  This will inform the way you manage the expectations of your team;  the ability to nip something in the bud by debunking an issue as idle gossip can save a lot of time down the track when the gossip may take on a life of its own!

Maintaining regular one on one’s with each of your up line managers (and as often as practical - three way conversations), will also ensure you are in the best position to anticipate, interpret and explore issues and topics with your managers in a controlled and proactive way, rather than finding yourself in the same situation as the manufacturing head in the above example; trapped and reacting.


Final word

Finally, conduit management is an understated and often unknown, leadership essential in complex organisations.  In some respects it is the bundling of a range of leadership skills and attributes that we already know, and applying them in a specific context.  Conduit management can be learned, and the ability to apply conduit management principles is often the difference between surviving and succeeding as matrix leader.
1 Comment
Bhuvi Kumar link
15/7/2021 01:55:07 pm

Having skills is required and a must in whatever we do in the same way becoming a leader is not enough unless we don't have all those skills that a perfect leader has and so training must be conducted by the organisation so that they learn and help company grow.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Building Relationships
    Business Partner
    Change Management
    Collaboration
    Cross Cultural Management
    Cross-cultural Management
    Customer Engagement
    Dialogue
    Diversity
    Eclectic Leadership
    Employee Engagement
    Engagement
    Expatriation
    Flexibility
    Globalisation
    Global Mindset
    Intercultural Management
    Leadership
    Management
    M&A's
    Matrix Leadership
    Mentor
    Remote Working
    Resilience
    Stress-Management
    Team Building
    Trust
    Virtual Teams

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    January 2023
    August 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    February 2018
    December 2017
    August 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    December 2015
    July 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    September 2013
    August 2013
    May 2013
    February 2013
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    June 2012

Home

About Us

Services

Insights

Contact

Copyright © 2019
Eng | Fra
  • Home
  • Services
    • Culture & Global Mindedness >
      • Organisational Culture
      • Global Engagement with Impact
      • Expat Optimiser Coaching Program
      • Consulting & Strategy for Global Thinking Organisations >
        • HR Intercultural Support >
          • Select Globally Aware People
          • Managing Expatriate & Returning Staff
        • Customised Solutions
    • Matrix & Collaboration >
      • Matrix & Collaboration Courses >
        • Executive Masterclass in Matrix Optimisation
        • The Collaborative Leader
        • Passport to Collaborative Working
        • The Collaborative Communicator
        • Matrix Certification Course - Overview >
          • Matrix Certification HI Course
        • Matrix Maturity Model Overview
      • Build Successful Teams >
        • Photo-Reflection
      • The VUCA Business Partner
    • Engaging Leadership >
      • Lead 2 Engage >
        • Global Engagement Framework - Overview
      • L2E Inner Circle >
        • Inner Circle Enrol
        • Inner Circle Interest
        • IC Learning Circle 2:20
        • IC Learning Circle 3:20
        • IC Learning Circle 4:20
        • IC Learning Circle 5.20
        • IC Learning Circle 6.20
        • IC Learning Circle 7.21
        • IC Learning Circle 9.21
        • IC Learning Circle 10.21
        • IC Learning Circle 11.21
        • IC Learning Circle 12.21
      • Lead 2 Remotely Engage
      • Coaching Engaging Leaders
      • L2E Certification Course - Overview
    • Digital Badging & Credentials
  • Resources
    • Pivot Potential Performance
    • "3 Things" Webinar Series
    • "Leadership Break" Series
    • The Remote Teaming Toolkit
    • The Resilient Expat
  • Insights
  • About Us
    • Our Team
    • Our Reach
    • Our Clients
    • Cultural Acknowledgement
    • Privacy
    • Hofstede Insights Australasia >
      • Webinars & Resources
      • OC Certification - Sydney 2019
  • Contact
  • Acceuil
  • Nos Services
    • Leadership Engageant >
      • Les Cercles de Leadership
      • Lead 2 Engage à distance
      • Former des Leaders Engageants
      • Aperçu de la Certification L2E
    • Collaborer en Environnement Matriciel >
      • Développer des Organisations Connectées et Dynamiques >
        • Communiquer en Transverse
        • Le Leader Transverse
        • Executive Masterclass: Optimiser une organisation matricielle​
        • Passeport pour Collaborer en Transverse
        • Cours de certification Matrix - Aperçu
        • Le Modèle de Maturité Matricielle
      • Former des équipes gagnantes
      • L'associé d'affaires VUCA
    • Management Interculturel et Mobilité Internationale >
      • Engager ses collaborateurs mondialement
      • Coaching de performance et d’intégration des expatriés
      • Consulting et Strategie Pour Organisations Mondiales >
        • Support des politiques de mobilité internationale >
          • Choisir des personnes compétentes et conscientes des enjeux mondiaux
          • Gestion du personnel expatrié et de retour au pays
        • Solutions sur mesure
  • Ressources
    • Série webinaires "3 idées pour..."
    • La Boîte à Outils de l'Equipe en Télétravail
    • Manuel de l'expatrié résilient
  • Blog
  • A Propos
    • Notre équipe
    • Pontevalle dans le monde
    • Nos Clients
  • Contact
  • ホーム
  • サービスメニュー
    • 多文化協働のためのグローバルマインドセット >
      • 異文化マネジメントワークショップ
      • 海外駐在最適化コーチング
      • レジリエンスを高めて海外駐在を成功させる >
        • 購入する
    • マトリックス組織と協働 >
      • コース >
        • マトリクス・リーダー
        • クロスファンクショナル・コミュニケーター
        • リレーショナル・ビジネスパートナー
      • 成功するチームを創生する >
        • Winning Together(共に勝つ)プロジェクトチーム
      • ニューロチェンジ・ソリューション >
        • ニューロチェンジ・コース
      • コンサルティングと戦略 >
        • 戦略アラインメントワークショップ
    • エンゲージングリーダーシップ >
      • エンゲージメントワークショップ >
        • Lead 2 Engageエンゲージメントのためのリーダーシップ
        • 変革がもたらすエンゲージメント
      • エンゲージングリーダーへのコーチング
      • 学生向けプログラム >
        • 学生向けLead 2 Engag
        • 学生向けWinning Together ワークショップ
        • 異文化適応力育成
    • オンラインリソース
  • ブログ
  • 私達について
    • 私達のチーム
    • グローバルリーチ
    • お客様
  • お問い合わせ
  • Ponte Blog