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The ChangingMinds Blog!
ChangingMinds Blog! > Blog Archive > 06-Jul-08
Friday 04-July-08
Micromanagement
There is a style of management with which many are familiar and which has acquired the name 'micromanagement'. The manager in question acts as if the subordinate is incapable of doing the job, giving close instruction and checking everything the person does. They seldom praise and often criticise. Whatever their subordinates do, nothing seems good enough.
For the individual, this tends to be incredibly frustrating. They are being treated as if they are incapable and untrustworthy. We often see ourselves as others see us and, when treated as unworthy, we will soon feel unworthy. In this way, people who are micromanaged can become dependent, unable to make the smallest decision without asking their manager. Alternatives to this total submission, which many take, include remaining frustrated or leaving. In any case, it is easy for one's confidence to be severely knocked.
Why do managers micromanage? There can be a number of reasons. First, they may reasonably not trust the person either because there is evidence to support this or because the newness of the relationship has not yet yielded evidence to support trust. There might also be a high-risk situation which merits extra management attention.
A more likely explanation is an internal need for the manager to manage closely. They may fear failure personally, transfer that risk to the person then take ownership of the person's work. The manager may also feel (or want to feel) superior to the person, effectively confusing authority with ability. The person thus seems incompetent and the manager looks for confirmation of this in the smallest details of the person's work. A minor error is thus taken as evidence of the person's total incompetence and the manager's obvious superiority. This can be a reversal of a childhood situation with a critical parent. Just as the abused become abusers, so also may the criticised become critical.
Micromanagement also plays to strong identity and control needs. Telling people what to do and not do is a strong controlling action, whilst the sense of superiority strokes the identity ego.
So what should you do when faced with a micromanager? The first thing is to recognise that it is their issue, not yours. However, this disability means they lack certain abilities and because of your situation, you are going to have to handle it. The simplest approach is to listen patiently and attentively when they tell you what to do (they hate being ignored). If you really disagree with what they are saying, ask politely for their reasons or explain your concern and ask for their advice. Quietly and carefully ensure you cannot be blamed for the micromanager's decisions (it can be useful to keep notes in case of later disagreement).
You can give them feedback (through a third party, if necessary) about how they are behaving and how this makes you feel. Some micromanagers do not intend to act this way and will make genuine attempts to improve. Many, however, will feel slighted and the result can be unhelpful. In consequence, think carefully before using this approach.
A reversal can be an interesting alternative, effectively, micromanaging them. Book their time to agree what you will be doing. Agree in detail what you will be doing. Let them make every decision. Then do exactly what they said and report back that you have done it. Go back often to check for new each decision. In the end they may tire of your constant attention and tell you to back off. You can also pre-empt and prompt this by occasionally asking if your approach to managing the detail through them is ok and whether they'd prefer you to decide more things yourself.
Another approach is to use their control and identity needs as levers. Use these as punishment and reward, carefully removing control and isolating them, or giving feedback that shows they are in control and are wonderful. For example when they over-control, avoid them, whilst when they give you more space, even a little, look at them and smile (identity stroking). Be very subtle in all this -- if the micromanager feels micromanaged, they will react strongly.
In this way you will feel more in control yourself even as you give them a greater sense of control. Living with a micromanager need not be painful and it can be an interesting challenge.
Your comments
Thanks for this post. You have described my manager to a
"tee". Several of us have tried your suggestions, but she hasn't gotten the
message. This particular manager can also become a rage-a-holic on occasion. I
feel very disempowered and discouraged in this job.
-- A Frustrated Employee in MN
Dave replies:
Another approach is to organise, for example going en masse to HR. Gather
evidence. Get witnesses. Read up on employment law. Sometimes also, if you can,
the best response is to look for another job.
Yeah, I told my manager my opinion and she simply replied
that "this is not going to work" - meant us working together. I think that
copying her on every email I send (over 60 emails a day and coworkers refuse to
email me because they know she reads everything) to asking MY subordinates to
email her with everything they forward to me.
I cannot micromanage her - I tried that and it just made me look incompetent.
Any suggestion?
-- Terrified Team Leader From GA
Dave replies:
There's a few options: fight back directly, escalate within the company, quit or
just tolerate her. My approach in the past has been to quit, but then I've been
lucky enough to know I can get another job. A variant is moving within the
company.
My Senior Manager tells me that I am a micromanager
because I like details. I am a manager of a team of 20 in a call center for an
online university. I do like details, but mainly for my own comfort. I rarely
use the details, such as how many transfers my employees make turn to
appointments then enrolments by an admissions advisor, to confront an employee.
Instead I see the info and it shows me who is effective and who needs more
coaching. I am a stickler for professionalism, attendance/timeliness, not using
slang, dress code, and rebutting to objections. However, I don't feel that this
makes me a micro-manager, I just want to be a facilitator and have everyone know
and do the basics without acting like little kids trying to get around the
rules. I find myself always having to nitpick about attendance with an employee
because our company policy says if you are more than three minutes late then you
get an occurrence (after 3 you are gone) the company mandates that part timers
be on the phone 3:30 of their day and full timers 7:20, anything less and I am
supposed to reprimand them. When I do so, I am called a micromanager and told
that other managers will give them leeway.
So, I ask you "am I a micromanager and just don't know it?" If I am, "how can I
fix it?"
~Confused manager or micromanager?
-- David C
Dave replies:
Liking detail and being a micromanager are worlds apart. Micromanagement is
about the personal control needs of the manager who does not trust his or her
people. It is about the way individuals are demotivated, not motivated, by
constant over-the-shoulder corrections. If the rules you are playing to are
different from other managers then, by contrast, you may appear to be
micro-managing. The challenge for you is to ask yourself how, in a culture you
probably can't change alone, how can you motivate your people to give of their
best.
Reprimanding is a tricky area, when it comes to motivation and can easily just make matters worse. One approach is to frame it as a joint problem -- a part of your job is to ensure the rules are followed, so what can we do? (note the 'we').
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