7 Impacts of Micromanagement on Your Corporate Culture

Micromanaging can have a significant negative impact on the culture of your company. In times like recessions and corporate change, a manager or team member may increase micromanaging behaviours due to trying to be perfect, the fear of negative business interruptions, or losing a job.

When someone is micromanaging, be it a supervisor or a team member, the person moves into a state of overcontrolling. They often will be critical around time, schedule, productivity, quality and money. As a result, the person usually takes on more work, doing it themselves. The person can also become frustratedly angry with their team, clients or senior leadership around thinking-based issues.

The Impact on Corporate Culture

1. Quells Staff Morale

Staff want to do a great job. When working for someone who micromanages or with someone who micromanages, it takes away their freedom to be successful.??

There becomes a feeling that they can't do anything right, as they are continually being told what to do, how to do it and when to do it.

Team members start to lose trust in their abilities and self-confidence, potentially increasing unconscious mistakes in the work.

2. Discourages Team Work

Typically when people are micromanaged, the manager discourages teamwork. The person micromanaging considers their way as the only correct answer or solution.

Statements like "My Way or The Highway."

Micromanaging can lead to team members working individually and slowing down work. Individuals feel constantly criticized and fear connecting with others for more effective solutions.

3. Smoothers Creativity

One of the critical sources of success in top companies is the ability to debate solutions to problems without fear of retaliation.

Yet, when a team member is micromanaged, they will typically stop providing ideas and solutions. They worry that they will be penalized even if the option is better than the one directed. This lack of creativity in a company can harm success and financial well-being.

4. Diminishes Productivity and Motivation

Productivity and motivation in an organization occur when team members have the opportunity to excel using their strengths and talents.

When a person works for or with a micromanager, they typically experience roadblocks and delays. These delays occur because the Micromanager can't see another way. As a result, the team-member stops thinking for themselves and only move forward when provided direction.

According to research by?Accountemps, 31% of employees prefer less red tape and bureaucracy.?

5. Intensifies mistrust

Successful organizational cultures have a high level of trust. The staff know that everyone has each other's backs. Willing to work together supporting each other.

When a micromanager is in the mix, the trust level drops significantly.

The team members fear for their jobs, and silos in the organization increase. People often start subconsciously competing against each other to avoid getting criticized for not completing their work on time or right in the micromanaging person's eyes.

6. Escalates Staff Turnover

When staff feel undervalued and do not have the opportunity to excel in their career, they are highly likely to leave. Since COVID-19, a great resignation was spawned, increasing the number of people willing to look for a new position. Add working for someone or with someone who micromanages; this becomes one of the?top three reasons?people resign.

According to?Indeed, in 2022, four reasons a person switches jobs in the following:

• Wanting to reel valued.
• Seeking a better management relationship.
• Want more independence at work.
• Want more recognition.??

7. Burnout

Micromanaging can significantly impact the mental health of the team and the person doing the micromanaging. Burnout is a "loss of mental and physical stamina due to mental stressors at work" (The Progress Report). Micromanaging is one of the primary culprits of stress in the workplace.???

Typically the person doing the micromanaging is in a state of distress, causing them to stop thinking and communicating effectively. This distressing pattern, if not resolved, can lead to anxiety, depression and burnout.??

What is the Solution:

1. Recognize Micromanagement As A State of Distress

First, recognize that the person micromanaging is in a state of distress. Telling someone micromanaging to stop is like telling a smoker to stop smoking. The Micromanager knows it is not a good thing, but they are stuck in a mental health loop and don't know how to get there is underlying frustrated anger around the loss pattern. The person needs to be able to resolve this anger healthily.

2. Provide support for Psychological Needs.

Second, provide positive recognition of their psychological needs. For someone who micromanages, their psychological needs are around their effort into work, time, and schedule. While giving positive feedback may seem counterintuitive, this is the psychological need they are trying to resolve. Use statements such as "I appreciate the effort and hard work...(for their role)."

3. Develop a Plan

Finally, discuss how to create a plan that supports their needs around time, schedule and money motivation. This plan may include breaking work down into simple priorities, reviewing the team mix to confirm they have the right skills, providing additional training, and scheduling vacation time.??

If you want to discover "How to Coach A Micromanager To Release Toxic Behaviour," I invite you to join my?Free Live Masterclass on January 19, 2023, at 1 PM EST.

Join today to get the answer to your question. I would love to share my learning with you.

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