The Evil Micromanager. Or, when it’s OK to Micromanage…

Micromanaging has a negative connotation associated with it. And rightly so. No one likes to have their boss breathing down their neck, making decisions for them. All employees appreciate a certain amount of autonomy in their work. It allows for ownership of their work. It allows for a more engaged employee. Don’t agree? Check out the video in this post.

Is it ever OK to micromanage?

Yes. There are several instances in which micromanagement can be a good thing. The micromanager may not yet be aware of his/her employees’ abilities and thus feel the need to oversee everything, especially when ultimate responsibility of certain tasks fall in their managerial lap. Another common scenario is when employees are asked to do something new and/or unfamiliar.

Micromanaging is necessary when rolling-out a new process or initiative.  Training, detailed explanations and careful oversight are required.

Until a new process becomes engrained, the manager will have to engage in certain levels of micromanagement, no matter how much of a pain it is. For example, here at GCS we are rolling out a new training initiative. Several of our managers and department heads have taken on a micromanaging role in order for this new initiative to be successful. Once everyone involved gets used to the new process, we anticipate managers turning more management tasks back over to the supervisors. But until then, we’ve seen the evidence and results that accompany such careful management when rolling out our new training initiative!

{{cta(’98f38b19-1371-4c85-aeb1-0d6d520286d6′)}}

Related articles

• How to Stop Micromanaging (blogs.sitepoint.com)
• Work Under a Micromanager? 10 Survival Tips (brighthub.com)
• The Villain in the Workplace!! (ascendbusinessstrategies.wordpress.com)
• Micromanagement (changingminds.org)

{{cta(‘086bd7a8-05a0-4877-9c40-8458bb49ecd0’)}}