The root cause of the problem is not the manager but the system (or the lack of system)
Put good people in a bad system and you will have bad results.
Without a system, you cannot have a clear expectation.
Your manager is checking your every move and asking for a daily report or even hourly on your work.
If you don’t do exactly according to his requirements, he will tell you how to do it.
This kind of management is killing your motivation.
You probably don’t want to take any initiative because you know he will not be satisfied and you will be blamed.
According to this article by Forbes on micromanagement:
- 79% of employees had experienced micromanagement
- 71% said micromanagement interfered with their job performance
- 85% reported their morale was negatively impacted
- 69% considered changing jobs due to micromanagement
- 36% actually changed jobs
The micromanager is not the problem
The root cause of the problem is not the manager but the system (or the lack of system).
In the current situation, the performance is subjective to the manager’s view and way of doing it. He is the standard. The standards are linked to his person and judgment.
As a human, our experience, mood, and psychological biases influence our interpretation of people’s performance.
He tells the team what to do but changes his mind several times per day.
A manager should manage the system, not each individual.
The solution to ending micromanaging is standard work
- What is the purpose of your work?
- What output do you have to produce?
- Do you have procedures or a methodology to apply?
- When does your manager review your work?
- According to what standards is your work evaluated?
- Is the standard work documented?
- Are people (including the manager) trained to follow the standard work?
The manager should focus his time on building the system and implementing it to increase productivity, predictability, and transparency.
The positive side-effects of standard work on micromanagement
- Reduced stress
You know exactly what your manager is expecting from you, you have the methodology, tools, and training to produce the expected output. Most importantly, you know how you are evaluated and what to do when you need help. Deadlines are predictable and respected, he will not need to harass you to speed up. - Ensure the quality of the work
By following the procedures, the manager knows that you will produce quality work, he doesn’t need to tell you what to do anymore, and no need to redo the work several times according to his feedback. - Focus on what is important
No more emergencies to deal with in urgency. The team knows the priority and all the steps to produce quality work. No more time wasted on unimportant details and waiting for his approval.
How to implement standard work in your team?
You are convinced by the advantages of standard work but how to start?
If you are not the manager, changing the manager will be the real challenge as he is used to micromanaging and will probably resist.
Communicate with him on what his goal is.
The idea of the need to change and implement standard work should come from him. By embracing the idea himself, he will lower his defense and accept to change.
Check these two books, they will help you to end micromanagement:
The Dichotomy of Leadership by Jocko Willink to learn how to lead the change.
- Atomic Habits by James Clear to learn how to build new healthy work habits.
