P R O F E S S I O N A L DEVELOPMENT
By kENNETh E. FRACARO
The Consequences of Micromanaging
Are you standing in your own employees’ way? Take a step back so your company can move forward.
DO yOu FEEL ThAT COMMuNICATIONS with your employees have deteriorated to the point that conversation has become limited and strained? Do you believe that your knowledge encompasses everything that you manage down to the smallest detail? Have employees stopped offering input or suggestions to solve problems that arise? If you answered “yes” to one of these questions, you may be guilty of micromanaging your employees. Micromanaging is a management style in which a supervisor closely observes or controls the work of an employee. In contrast to giving general instructions on smaller tasks while supervising larger concerns, the micromanager monitors and assesses every step.1 This behavior adversely affects supervisor–employee communication, creativity, productivity, problem-solving, flexibility, trust, feedback, openness, and company growth and goal attainment. When training a new employee, coaching— not micromanaging—may be necessary for a certain period of time. However, as the employee becomes confident in accomplishing his major job duties, gradually lessen your close supervision of the employee. Reasons for micromanaging are varied and a supervisor sometimes believes them to be a necessary part of management, which they are not! They are not practical and they do not lead to effective problem-solving.
n Contract Management / July 2007
P r o D
Reasons for Micromanaging
ß ß ß ß ß
Micromanagement may arise from a supervisor’s concern for details, increased performance pressure, her own insecurity, or as a tool to terminate an employee. Concerning termination, a supervisor creates standards that an employee is unable to meet and then feels justified to terminate the employee. In addition, an employee may leave voluntarily because of his belief that...