Micromanagement is widely regarded as an unprofessional practice in the modern workplace. In a recent article, we point out its nature, signs and adverse consequences on individual employees and overall organisational performance.
But managers cannot abdicate their leadership duties or completely stay aloof from their subordinates. They simply need to find ways to be effective and enhance employee productivity without micromanaging. Accordingly, in this article, we look at the reasons people micromanage according to experts and how you can be an effective manager without micromanaging your employees.
Why do people micromanage?
Often, the solutions to most problems come in handy following a successful diagnosis of their causes, and that of micromanagement is no different. Therefore, some of the causes of micromanagement are given below.
1. Fear
This is the submission of best-selling author and leadership expert, Mark Murphy. According to him, people fear for various reasons, one of which is the fear of losing control. As professionals rise through the ranks and become managers, they gradually lose grip on what they used to do but give instructions. Obsessed with their jobs, they pounce on every opportunity to get their hands back on those very tasks.
Similar to the above is the strong desire for (and the fear of losing) power. This accounts for the reason 41% of people micromanage. They want to be recognized as “authority figures” and “experts”, to remain in charge and take decisions. Consequently, mere supervisory roles make them feel redundant and unessential.
Many micromanagers also fear that their subordinates may do poor jobs. These managers were high performers and their expertise was widely acknowledged before they assumed supervisory roles. To prevent their employees from making them look bad, they consider it necessary to loom over their employees and append their signatures to every task.
2. Lack of management skills
Poor or downright lack of people management skills is another cause of micromanagement, according to Gallup. This occurs mostly when ‘managers’ never received training in people management principles and best practices. Management skills may also be acquired through experience. But most micromanagers are inexperienced.
3. Unskilled employees
Managers having unskilled and unproductive employees on their teams can also cause micromanagement, especially for tasks requiring experienced personnel. Unskilled employees churn out poor-quality jobs and commonly take longer time to deliver. To prevent poor team performance reviews, managers may find themselves taking up the duties of team members, carrying out frequent assessments and requiring frequent reports.
4. A culture of distrust
As already mentioned, micromanagement may result from the fear that employees would perform poorly if given leeway without some input from the expert supervisor.
However, an entrenched culture of distrust in the workplace is likely to provide fertile ground for micromanagement. In other words, employees may be micromanaged not because they are not competent; rather, they are micromanaged because of the fear that tasks would not be completed without strict supervision.
In another dimension, employees may constantly seek the input of their supervisors because managers never made their subordinates feel they are trusted to have the skills to get things done.
How you can avoid micromanagement
Adopt the following tips to eliminate micromanagement.
1. Recruit competent hands
Since managers sometimes micromanage because they don’t have confidence in the competence of their employees, recruiting high-performing professionals is an effective way of stamping out micromanagement in the workplace. This means managers would have more time for those activities only they can do and trust their team members to always do quality jobs. Meanwhile, hiring underqualified employees is a recipe for micromanagement.
2. Delegate effectively
Effective delegation empowers employees to own their jobs, encourages creativity and, according to Gallup research, helps businesses generate 33% higher revenue. Delegation bolsters the morale of employees and prepares them for leadership roles. Rather than instruct employees on how to go about a given task, communicate the deadline and expected outcomes instead and ensure employees have the necessary training and resources to achieve the expectations.
3. Shun perfectionism
If you always think your team members don’t know as much you do or that they are prone to mistakes, the likelihood of you being a micromanager is high, essentially because you will constantly interfere in the tasks they perform. Therefore, it is important to make room for mistakes and growth. Also, moments of mistakes are not opportunities to punish, but opportunities for employees to learn and improve. Embrace the failing forward approach.
4. Build trust
Building trust in employees is recommended since a lack of trust contributes to the practice of micromanagement. Consistently profess your confidence in the abilities of team members to successfully handle assigned tasks and projects and “take a leave”. Communicate projects’ expectations and make it clear that you can be contacted should they need your help midway.
5. Provide training
Business leaders can eliminate micromanagement in the workplace by providing training for employees to acquire requisite skills. This will enhance productivity and prepare employees for leadership roles. Identify existing gaps between needed skills and employees’ limitations. Organise internal training sessions and support employees to enroll for professional courses. When employees are well trained, they will earn the trust of managers and the fear of the latter will be allayed.
Final remarks
Micromanaging employees is a bad management style that is adopted by inexperienced or unskilled managers. Adopting these five tips will make you become more effective and improve employee productivity. Relevant training is as important for managers as for their subordinates for the best results.
