Is Micromanaging Always Bad?

Micromanagement is when a manager closely watches a direct report and constantly checks the status of their progress on a project or assignment. It can feel overbearing, but it also has pros in addition to the obvious cons.?

By Brandi Fowler

Micromanagement can feel suffocating when you are on the receiving end.?

“Managing is having a very high-level set of expectations about what works and needs to be done,” said Offor founder and CEO Ifeyinwa Walker. “It becomes micromanaging when you are dictating exactly how it needs to be done and in places where that's not necessary.”?

According to a 2020 Harvard Business Review study, micromanaging increased among remote workers due to the pandemic. The study found that a fifth of remote workers felt their supervisor was constantly evaluating their work. Meanwhile, 29% of managers didn’t trust their employees’ competence and questioned whether their employees had the required knowledge to do their jobs.?

It sparked the rise of “helicopter bosses.” Marie Claire UK reported. The relatively new buzzword comes from 'helicopter parenting,' in which parents “hover over their children constantly, not giving them any space to make their own decisions.”

Micromanaging doesn’t just happen with remote workers, though. It occurs in the workplace, too.?

But is it always a bad thing? It depends on how a direct report works best and the management style that helps them succeed.?

What Micromanaging in the Workplace Looks Like

Micromanaging tends to appear as a manager keeping tabs on what a direct report is doing every step of the way in an overbearing manner.?

The manager may check in every hour or every couple of hours a day to ensure employees are on track with work duties.?

One example is if you are working on a project and your manager wants to work “very, very closely” with you, tech career development consultant Bryant Alexander, Jr. said. That means from the beginning of the project they are scheduling daily, bi-weekly, or weekly check-ins to make sure you are on track, and constantly checking the project to ensure you are on the same page with the project path.

Managers don’t always know they are micromanaging, especially when they are new managers, Walker said.?

“If you are a creative and you're really invested in the final product and you're used to winning all the time, it can be very difficult to recognize when that's happening,” Walker said.

How Micromanaging Can Be Detrimental

Micromanaging doesn’t work for everyone, and if a manager is micromanaging someone it won’t benefit, it can cause unnecessary stress, and disruption, and lead to poor performance.?

It can also prevent someone from developing in their role.

“Letting somebody grow and mature within an organization [means] you have to let them fail from time to time,” Alexander said. “It doesn't allow that direct report to really grow, have some teachable moments. It just becomes more so, ‘I'm not even doing a job. You as my manager might as well just do the job. I'm not doing anything.’”

The best leaders don’t micromanage, according to LinkedIn News. New research from the University of Pennsylvania found that remote workers “would prefer that their managers focus on problem-solving and coaching rather than meddling.?

“The most revered managers are trusting their teams, delegating effectively and acting as an enabler over an enforcer. They are not implementing exhaustive checklists, levels of approval or re-doing others' work.”

When you micromanage, you can communicate to your team that you don’t trust them, Walker said. It also causes the person being micromanaged to lose a sense of autonomy and agency, which is important to be engaged in the work.?

The effects can also become an inconvenience for the manager.?

“What ends up happening is that as the manager who wants to free up their time, your people continue to come back to you for you to tell them exactly how to do it, for you to give them the exact steps, which doesn't free you up, which is the reason why you hired them in the first place,” Walker said.?

How Micromanaging Can Be Beneficial?

Micromanaging team members isn’t always a bad thing, however.?

It can sometimes be beneficial for early career professionals, particularly those who are recent college graduates and don’t have a lot of experience, Alexander said. Micromanaging could be used to help a new employee acclimate to a team or a company culture.?

“It can help you in a very hands-on way,” Alexander said. “It can [ensure] that you are actually growing in your role and have everything you need in order to be successful.”

Micromanaging can also be helpful if it is preventing a high stakes or liability issue, where you must step in though it might feel like micromanaging, Walker said.?

It can work in industries with an apprenticeship model that teaches a craft and has a specific way to work.

“You could imagine in that particular instance where somebody might look at that and think of it as micromanaging, but someone else could also look at that and see it as really intense training,” Walker said. “And the difference is being explicit that that's what this person is signing up for. If you do this role, you are going to have this intensive step-by-step training where we're going to teach you every single step and it has to be done in this way.’”?

What To Do If You Are Micromanaged

If micromanaged, an issue of trust between you and your manager may exist.

Determine how you want to be managed and the things you need to be successful, Alexander said. Communicate that with your manager and be transparent. That conversation can help build trust, and it helps to have it when you start a new job or as soon as you are assigned a new manager.?

“It's simple things such as ‘I'm somebody that needs to check in at least twice a week, once at the beginning of the week and once at the end of the week to make sure I'm on the same page when it comes to all my projects,’” Alexander said. “Or you could be the direct report where it's just like, ‘Hey, I just need a weekly check-in just to make sure we're good. If I don't have any updates, we can just check in asynchronously. Or [it could] even be about what you need when you're actually starting a project.”

You can also be proactive and ask the manager how they would like to receive updates on the project's progress.

Don’t hesitate to ask a manager about their management style during the interview process too. That can provide some insight into how the manager handles their team to determine if that would be a good fit for you.?

In addition, Walker suggested providing the manager visibility into your work.

“The more visibility you're providing, the more that the manager who is micromanaging can see that you are aligned, that the project is headed in the direction that they would like it to head in, the more confidence that often builds in that individual and your abilities,” Walker said.?

You won’t be on the receiving end of as many questions because you will be sharing information proactively, Walker said. That can help build confidence and trust.

How a Manager Can Avoid Micromanaging

On the flip side, managers can make sure resources are available to their direct reports instead of micromanaging them.

They can have videos, slide decks, etc., on hand, and facilitate conversations with different stakeholders that may help the direct report, Alexander said. Managers can also talk with their direct reports about what management style works for them and how they learn best.?

Create space for feedback about what they need, and listen without becoming reactive or emotional, Walker said. That way, if you are micromanaging, they can feel comfortable talking with you about it.?

And managers should give themselves the mental space to think about what they want from their direct reports and what their expectations are, they can then communicate that effectively with their direct reports.

Top Takeaways

Is Micromanaging Always Bad??

• Micromanaging isn’t always bad and can sometimes be beneficial if the employee is new to the industry and/or a recent college grad or an apprenticeship that requires intense training.?
• Communicate with your manager about the management style that works best for you and helps you succeed in the workplace.?
• Instead of micromanaging, managers can talk to their direct reports about their needs.?
• Work to build trust with your manager by being proactive and communicating about your work.