Stacey Matrix — Choose the Best Leadership Approach

Developed by Ralph Douglas Stacey, the Stacey Matrix is a useful management tool for choosing the best leadership approach and management actions to respond to various business situations with different degrees of complexity.

The two dimensions of Stacey Matrix: agreement and certainty.

Certainty:

- Close to Certainty: When underlying cause and effect relationships are clear, past experiences well applicable, and the outcomes predictable.

- Far from Certainty: When underlying cause and effect relationships are unclear, past experiences irrelevant, and the outcomes unpredictable.

Agreement:

- Close to agreement: When the key stakeholders involved in an issue or decision are aligned in terms of values, interests, and objectives, etc., or are close enough to find common ground to move forward.

- Far from agreement: When the key stakeholders involved in an issue or decision are in conflict and are too far apart to find common ground to move forward.

Five zones within the two axes:

1. Simple Zone: close to agreement, close to certainty

• In this area of the matrix, there’s…