Micromanaging is workplace poison, here's how to fix it

 

At one point or another all of us have worked for a micromanager.  When you are brand new to a role it's OK at first, because you appreciate the extra guidance and help. When micromanaging continues long after your new hire period it starts to become a drain on the relationship between you and your boss and can even result in resentment or disengagement from the employee.  Why does this occur and how can we fix it?

What is micromanaging

Micromanaging is a type of management where the manager very closely observes the activity of the employees. The manager directs nearly all aspects of the employees work and demands constant updates. Micro managing has a negative context because it is viewed as a lack of freedom in the workplace. 

For example, if there was a large project that involved several smaller projects, the micro manager would be involved in every step of each of the smaller projects. Directing the work of the employee every step of the way, rather than setting goals for the smaller projects and focusing on the bigger picture. 

Why does micromanagement occur?

Micromanagement occurs, typically, because the boss has a fear of losing control in the workplace. They know that they are ultimately judged by the output of their team and their fear of losing control of their own destiny is so high that they resort to managing every step of the process so they can be sure of the outcome. This may occur due to high detail orientation of the manager, but is more commonly due to organizational culture or lack of employee competence.

Micromanagement's negative effects

The hyper involvement into the daily work of their employees can cause the employees to become disengaged and even lead to a hostile work environment. The employees learn that they are not trusted by their manager and the company and will begin to act accordingly, refusing to make any decisions on their own. Ultimately the most skilled and effective employees will leave the organization and over time you will be left with a less competent workforce. This has the effect of requiring even more involvement by the manager which leads to an even higher level of micromanagement and makes all of the negative effects worse. 

So how do we fix micromanagement?

The key to fixing this environment and having a trusting working relationship is to install an effective management system. This system involves three steps. 

Align on expectations

First the manager needs to work with this team on aligning expectations. Instead of focusing on the process to complete the work, the manager needs to define the right outcomes. Focusing on the outcomes allows the manager to ensure that the ultimate end goal is clear to the employee while allowing the employee freedom to find their path to that goal. 

Empower your team

After defining the right outcomes, it's important for the manager to step back and give his team the freedom to achieve the results. This means letting go of the reins and that's OK. While the manager may prefer to complete a task in a specific order, the employee may have a different process by which they can achieve the same outcome. The manager gains nothing by forcing the employee to work his way. Let your team achieve their results on their own and they will grow and achieve more over time.

Accountability

This is the third key to a successful management system. You must account for what you said you would do. Accountability can be both good and negative.  You must be sure to regularly meet with your team as both a team and individuals; weekly is probably best. Use this time to bring up the goals each of your employees are responsible for and ask them to tell you about their progress and confirm that they will deliver their project on time. If they are not on track, you must fight the urge to jump in and fix it for them. Instead, ask the employee why they are not on track and how they plan to course correct. This creates discomfort in the employee that will drive them to achieve their goals both now and in the future so they can avoid being in this situation again.

I talk more about this management system in the Success System book.  Link is at the top of this page. Have you ever worked for a micromanager or are you a micromanager? What is your experience?  Tell us below!