Information about Micromanagement

In business management, micromanagement is a management style where a manager closely observes or controls the work of their employees, generally used as a pejorative term. In contrast to giving general instructions on smaller tasks while supervising larger concerns, the micromanager monitors and assesses every step. Micromanagement is instantly recognized by employees, but micromanagers rarely think of themselves as micromanagers.

Extreme cases represent dangerous management pathology. The latter is characterised by an obsessive style of management and is closely related to workplace bullies, narcissists and other management pathologies. Micromanagers like many addicts are the last person to recognize that their addiction is in controlling others.

Micromanagement may arise from internal sources, such as concern for details, incompetence or insecurity. While the main drivers are internal and are related to the personality of the manager it also can be partially attributed to external pressures such as organizational culture, severe time pressure, increased performance pressure, instability of manager position, etc.

It can also be seen as a tactic used by managers to eliminate unwanted employees, either by creating standards employees cannot meet leading to termination, or by creating a stressful workplace causing the employee to leave.

Regardless of the motivation the effect can create resentment and damage trust. Severe forms of micromanagement usually completely eliminate trust and can provoke anti-social behavior.

Micromanagement can also be distinguished from the tendency of the manager to perform duties assigned to the subordinate. Benign forms arise when the manager can perform a worker's job with more efficiency. In severe forms, the manager does not have the required competencies of efficiency but still try to dictate the subordinate not only what to do but how to do a particular task. It is also connected with requests for unnecessary and too detailed reports ("reportomania"). Typical examples include but are not limited to the area of performance feedback. A micromanager tends to require constant and detailed feedback and tends to be excessively focused on procedural trivia rather than on overall performance, quality and results.

Micromanagers are usually irritated when a subordinate makes decisions without consulting them, even if the decisions are totally within the subordinate's level of authority.

External links

• Softpanorama micromanagement page
• Micromanagement is Mismanagement by Charles R. McConnell