Matrix management in a rehabilitation centre.

This paper considers an old topic from a newer perspective, that of current management theory. A high degree of differentiation is intrinsic to most rehabilitation inpatient facilities. At Loewenstein, patients are accommodated according to medical categories in purpose departments, of which medical and nursing staff are a part. Allied health professionals are organized in functional departments. Care is provided by a team derived from both types of department. A matrix organization is thus established, superimposing a patient care team (for lateral horizontal co-ordination) on the organization of functional departments (for vertical hierarchical co-ordination) and built around a temporary project, the individual patient. This organizational structure maximizes the advantages and minimizes the disadvantages of both types of department in solving the conflict between specialization and integration. It has facilitated effective and efficient vertical and horizontal co-ordination and enhanced the provision of care by a multidisciplinary rehabilitation team.