Microsoft Group Program Manager, Technology reviews

Work life balance. The matrix leads to tension between the businesses and the field and prohibits optimal performance through lack of alignment. The culture is extremely aggressive and treating one another with respect is not a priority; additionally the focus on email and lack of face-to-face interaction is difficult for Extroverts. Lack of lay-offs does mean that you are never getting rid of your lowest tier employees so they never leave. We often don't know how to prioritize projects so do many things not well vs. a few things really well. Engineering culture results in lack of respect for support functions particularly marketing and finance, which are very, very leanly staffed.

While there are many smart people at Microsoft, many unfortunately choose to concentrate on jockeying for position rather than ensuring that the company is winning. Even worse is that there are some managers who cultivate this and cloak themselves with cronies and yes-men. Also frustrating is the extremely matrixed nature of most groups.