Abstract
Having personal that works in projects but belongs to a functional organization is the way that
many companies organized their labor force today. Previous research shows that this implies
management contradictions and ambiguities between functional manager and project manager;
there are unresolved struggles between these two roles in terms of power, accountability,
authority and legitimacy.
With this paper we aim to analyze those struggles based on previous research and to generate
working propositions.
We first provide a review of the different matrix organizations focusing on the relation between
the functional manager and the project manager. We then review the literature concerning
temporary organizations and projects as temporary organizations. We conclude by integrating the
findings of these perspectives and by identifying working propositions and areas for further
research.
Key words: Temporary organization, Matrix organizations, Functional Manager, Project
Manager