2. Moss and McAdams Accounting Firm
2
40%>5yrs
160 employees
6 Offices
Corporate
audits & tax
preparations
Corporate audits
& tax
preparations
Main office
Ruby Sands
(Office Manager)
Bruce Palmer
(Promoted)
Ken Crosby
(New member)
Johnsonville
Trucks audit
(5 member team)
Springfield Metal
Project
Johnsonville Zeke
Olds
Project Management)
3. Question 1: If you were Palmer at the end of the
case, how would you respond?
3
Project Management
Weak Matrix due to
different dimensions
Undefined
responsibilities
Power structure &
accidental manager
Delegation & span
of authority
• Admit to Sands decision
• Take account and respect Old’s
preference
• Arrange for a smooth transition
• Request Crosby to let Old handover
in a more responsible manner
• Keep attachment of Olds with the
project for certain period of time
• Request Sands for training and
development on project and people
management
4. Question 2: What, if anything, could Palmer
have done to avoid losing Olds?
4
Project Management
Define clear goals and
objectives for Olds
Alternative full days
instead of half day
switch
Change the job role of
Olds to more consulting
Emotional bonding,
flexibility & freedom for
Olds
5. Question 3: What advantages and disadvantages of a
matrix type organization are apparent from this case?
5
Project Management
Maximizing
resources
Advantages
Deployment of Olds into the
Springfield project
Ambiguity &
non-accountable
Disadvantages
Olds used to receive call and emails
from Crosby in Palmer’s office
Increased
Teamwork
Socialization, lunch and playing golf
by Crosby over the weekends
Professional
Development
Olds found Consultancy to be more
interesting over auditing
Flexibility of
work
Time managed on their own (Team
lunch, match ticket, motivations)
Empathy &
socialization
Bonding among the team members
and small measures motivate
Disrupted
Schedules
Olds running late for Palmers office
being stuck in meetings
Lengthy decision Too many cooks spoil the broth
Ambiguous roles Olds facing problem with mind
switching between the projects
Balance of
Power
Paranoia of Palmer and enforcing
authority over Olds.
Caught in the
middle
Olds got stuck between the project
responsibilities
6. Question 4: What could the management at M&M
do to more effectively manage situations like this?
6
Project Management
Stability of
resources
Project size
Level of
importance
Conflict
management
tools
