What is Micromanagement? Should you apply micromanagement in your business?
Micromanagement is a controversial concept in business management today because most office employees believe it is a management method that negatively affects the business. So, what is the truth about this micromanagement method? Should it be applied in a business or not? If so, how can it be applied effectively? Follow the article below from 1Office to find out the answer!
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Mục lục
I. What is Micromanagement? Current Situation and Signs to Recognize
1. The Concept of Micromanagement
Micromanagement is a personnel management style that is detail-oriented, overly cautious, and sometimes interferes too deeply in employees’ tasks, offering comments and criticism instead of guiding them on how to perform the work and providing appropriate deadlines.
In reality, micromanagement is not considered a good management style because if a manager constantly delves deep and dictates their employees’ every move, it will gradually demoralize the staff.
2. Signs That Your Boss is a Micromanager
In daily office life, there are many signs of micromanagement:
- First, micromanagement is evident when leaders do not let employees work independently. They don’t just stop at providing guidance but also constantly exert excessive control, observe details, and make suggestions even when unnecessary.
- Next, leaders who tend to micromanage often do not allow their subordinates to make independent initiatives or decisions without their approval.
- Leaders who tend to micromanage are often distracted, not focusing on their core business but only on minor details. For example, if they see a small error in a process, they will tell the employee to stop and try to complete it themselves.
Read more: How to Build a Professional and Detailed Code of Conduct in Business
II. How Does Micromanagement Affect Businesses?
In reality, managers, leaders, and executives often find it difficult to let go of tight control and struggle with delegating responsibility. Because they aim for high revenue and the perfect completion of all tasks, they often want to do everything themselves. They are dissatisfied when they see employees making small mistakes and forget that they need to guide, not scrutinize, which puts a lot of pressure on employees.
According to data collected on the impact of micromanagement on businesses, based on survey responses from employees:
- 79% of employees reported that they have experienced being micromanaged at work
- 69% of employees said they have considered leaving their job because they were victims of micromanagement at the company
- 36% have “job-hopped” because of micromanagement
- 71% of employees reported that micromanagement had a significant impact and reduced their work performance
- 85% of employees said their morale was negatively affected by micromanagement
Thus, we can see that today, most leaders who use micromanagement indiscriminately cause employees to feel pressured and insecure, leading to a severe drop in work performance. This makes their businesses unable to motivate employees, who then become discouraged and quit.
In summary, if micromanagement is not applied selectively, it will cause the following negative effects:
- Reduced creativity and innovative thinking among employees
Once employees notice that their opinions or suggestions are frequently criticized and judged, they will psychologically stop thinking of new things, reducing their creativity. Gradually, employees will only do what their boss asks without any breakthroughs.
- Employees’ morale declines, and they lose trust in leadership and the company
Everyone at work needs autonomy to organize and complete their tasks. If this is hindered by constantly having to wait for a manager’s approval, employees will easily feel frustrated, even become defiant, and no longer want to work.
- Reduced work productivity
Employees will gradually become dependent on their manager if the manager always wants to control everything. This reduces the employees’ flexibility and proactivity, while also making the manager busier by constantly having to resolve and review every small task.
- Difficulty in assessing skills
It is very difficult to assess the skills employees are learning and have learned if managers do not let them work and learn on their own.
- Businesses can easily lose talented employees
Of course, when a business has managers and leaders who always resort to micromanagement, employees’ activities will be hindered, and they will become discouraged and no longer want to work. Even very promising employees with good expertise may quit due to the excessive pressure from micromanagement.
III. Should micromanagement be applied in a business?
“No concept is entirely good or bad; success or failure depends on the method of implementation”
We need to understand that Micromanagement is just a form of management; the nature of the micromanagement method is not inherently bad. The important thing here is how managers and leaders apply it. Knowing how to use it correctly will bring efficiency, while applying it incorrectly will become abuse and negatively affect employees, the managers themselves, and the business.
| When to Apply Micromanagement | Effectiveness |
Example |
| Recruiting New Candidates | Selecting talented candidates who will stay long-term requires a thorough evaluation process. Applying micromanagement can save significant time by enabling a high-quality, meticulous assessment to choose the best candidates. | Reviewing a CV requires a multi-faceted evaluation: assessing professional competence, experience, and suitability for the position. Many businesses now use software solutions to evaluate candidate CVs objectively and in detail, leveraging micromanagement to achieve high recruitment efficiency. |
| Orienting and Training New Employees | An experienced mentor will be responsible for guiding new personnel. If new employees are instructed and guided on every small detail, they will learn faster and understand what they need to improve and where they need additional training. | The software company 1Office organizes training courses for new employees under the guidance of experienced managers. New staff are guided through each work process, from the smallest actions to the way of thinking, and practice immediately during training to identify and correct their mistakes. |
| The Beginning of a New Project | Employees receive detailed instructions, ensuring good control over issues that arise during project implementation and allowing for timely resolution. | When starting a communications project, businesses need to guide employees on the plan, tasks, and execution methods. In the initial phase, it’s necessary to check frequently whether employees are on the right track to ensure the project’s successful development. |
| Changing Strategy | Helps employees better understand the change, the new work process, and their roles and responsibilities within the new strategy. | During a project, leadership decides to change the strategy to improve efficiency. At this point, it is necessary to monitor employees carefully after briefing them on the situation, ensuring they are on the right track and working effectively. |
Read more: Optimal human resource management process for businesses
IV. Methods for Successfully Applying Micromanagement in a Business
To reasonably and effectively incorporate micromanagement into the management process, leaders need to:
- Ensure in-depth knowledge of the business and the work
When you are confident that you have a deep understanding of the work you and your employees are doing, as well as your business, you will more easily recognize issues with employees and ask them to make corrections. With knowledge, your words and instructions will be effective and bring results to the work.
- Set clear goals to guide employees
You need to clearly define the work objectives and projects the company/business is pursuing in order to guide employees more accurately. To do this, managers/leaders need a standard framework for evaluating employee performance to know who is suitable for which job and how they can contribute to the project, thereby improving work efficiency.
- Practice the ability to listen to employees
A successful manager always has a willingness to listen to everyone, remaining calm and listening even in the most serious situations. Only by listening and understanding can you identify the core of the problem and then solve it together.
A leader who knows how to listen will help motivate employees to propose ideas, assist them in resolving existing difficulties, and thereby help them focus on completing their work.
- Know how to respect and connect with employees
A respectful mindset and the skill to connect with employees are important factors in management capability. If you want micromanagement to be used well and be effective, you need to guide employees enthusiastically, without criticizing or reprimanding them.
Creating a connection with employees helps you understand them and helps them understand you better, including your working style, making communication easier during leadership moments.
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