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Does micromanagement kill productivity?

by WF- Enzo Administrator
18 replies
What do you think of micromanagement? Is that even necessary?
#deos #kill #micromanagement #productivity
  • Profile picture of the author Artkantos
    IMO if you need to be micromanaging your people then what's the point of hiring them? Instead of you doing the work, now you're micromanaging the one doing the work instead of focusing on your tasks...You need to have systems to hire and manage people in a way that they can do their work and sync with you and the rest of the team while they do their work and manage themselves

    For what I'm seeing the question is not an absolute yes or no, but to what degree micromanaging is necessary. I am looking for employees that can work 90% without micromanaging, so they have to hit some weekly or daily goals and report to me on a periodic basis, but that's it...Maybe depends a lot on the industry, on the type of business and on the nature of the hiring
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    • Profile picture of the author Terrence Withers
      I agree with everything you're saying, but I also think it's possible to leverage your employee's relative strengths. To do that you do need to be at least in close communication with them.
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      • Profile picture of the author Odahh
        Originally Posted by Terrence Withers View Post

        I agree with everything you're saying, but I also think it's possible to leverage your employee's relative strengths. To do that you do need to be at least in close communication with them.
        For all the jargon and stuff that gets thrown around about this. Even though I would I would never really want employees. The more savage describes his model.

        Savage builds the work environment he enjoys working in where he can do almost every job. Then hires people who are better than him at each job.and probably can assess potential of who is trainable.

        Micromanaging is probably a result of really bad design of work flow and less than selective hiring practices.
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  • Profile picture of the author Odahh
    I do have experience running crew's and managing small numbers of people. The people who will work without micromanaging leave alone the people who will slack off and or get on their cellphone at any chance need to be micromanaged. But they tend to be most of the workers
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      I have had the same experience.


      Even with people who were paid by the job. Yup, some of them accepted the job, wanted the money fast, but if left alone, they were constantly a day or two late.


      They always had a good-sounding excuse, it seems.


      Interestingly enough, some of them complained that they were not making enough money (or wanted more), so I would offer them an extra job. One such instance happened to one of my cousins during my time as a real estate appraisal company owner. I talked to him on a Thursday. He said he'd love it if he could make a few hundred dollars more than usual in the next few days. So, I offered him a job (that would have paid him $400) but I needed it turned in on the following Monday.


      He turned me down: he was going out Friday evening and did not want to wake up early Saturday morning.


      Current employees, some need constant micromanaging, a couple can be left alone forever, you just tell them what needs to be done and by when and it gets done by the deadline (or earlier) and done well.


      Would be nice if a larger number of people worked well on their own always!



      Originally Posted by Odahh View Post

      I do have experience running crew's and managing small numbers of people. The people who will work without micromanaging leave alone the people who will slack off and or get on their cellphone at any chance need to be micromanaged. But they tend to be most of the workers
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      • Profile picture of the author Odahh
        Originally Posted by DABK View Post

        I have had the same experience.




        Would be nice if a larger number of people worked well on their own always!
        Well from my experience and it's basically in warehouse and factories. Even people who work well on their own when things are running. Need micromanaging when there is down time and there is busy work for people to get their hours.

        There is a mindset where they see themselves as picking up others slack while things are running. They should get to slack off during downtime.

        If they are capable of self managing 100 percent of the time they probably end up working for themselves.

        To get the job done when I was managing people it was easier to get people to work if I just put them on the stuff they did well and personally picked up the slack . The harder people under you see you working the less they screw off
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    Micromanaging is probably a result of really bad design of work flow and less than selective hiring practices.

    Micromanagement is a result of someone who thinks he is the only person who can make the 'right' decisions or can do the work 'properly'.



    It doesn't matter how good the employees are - if the manager is a micro manager he'll still be jumping in to change or correct what they do or insist they do it 'his' way....or at the least question what they did even when it clearly worked well.



    I've known a couple micromanagers and it had nothing to do with the quality of the workers - but with the personality of the manager. There is a fear of not being in full control that micromanagers I've known seem to share.
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    • Profile picture of the author WF- Enzo
      Administrator
      Micromanagers seem to be control freaks, no?

      Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

      Micromanagement is a result of someone who thinks he is the only person who can make the 'right' decisions or can do the work 'properly'.



      It doesn't matter how good the employees are - if the manager is a micro manager he'll still be jumping in to change or correct what they do or insist they do it 'his' way....or at the least question what they did even when it clearly worked well.



      I've known a couple micromanagers and it had nothing to do with the quality of the workers - but with the personality of the manager. There is a fear of not being in full control that micromanagers I've known seem to share.
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    • Profile picture of the author Odahh
      Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

      Micromanagement is a result of someone who thinks he is the only person who can make the 'right' decisions or can do the work 'properly'.



      It doesn't matter how good the employees are - if the manager is a micro manager he'll still be jumping in to change or correct what they do or insist they do it 'his' way....or at the least question what they did even when it clearly worked well.



      I've known a couple micromanagers and it had nothing to do with the quality of the workers - but with the personality of the manager. There is a fear of not being in full control that micromanagers I've known seem to share.
      Normally nothing you say triggers any trauma. But I have worked for managers like that and my older brother ( not the one I stayed with through Covid) is like that

      The managers I only could last a few months under my brother well didn't get away from that until the first time I went to Las Vegas.
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  • Profile picture of the author themagicwithinyou
    Originally Posted by WF- Enzo View Post

    What do you think of micromanagement? Is that even necessary?
    In my view yes, micromanagement is a pain in the butt. If you want to kill someone's willingness to show initative, growth and productivity then micromanage them!

    I think people who micromanage are just insecure in themselves and feel the need to control others. Which is impossible. People gonna do what people gonna do

    It's better to encourage, nurture and give people responsibility for things. Trust them. That's the way forward.
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  • Profile picture of the author art72
    Only having dealt with a few clients/employers who elected to micromanage every detail of a project, I cannot flow in those types of environments. It was actually even more annoying when they (the client/employer) knows far less than they ought to know, especially, if they intend to run a thriving business.

    There was this one guy, I swore he was on steroids or something... unbearable amount of instructions, which in-turn cancelled out being productive. I walked off a job on him and never went back, LOL.

    So, from my own personal experiences with "micro-managers" is they are neither conducive, nor productive in most the of the work environments, at least not the work places I was actively functioning. Granted, I do have some patience, tolerance, and forgiveness for people in stressful businesses, environments, or life in general... but, there is "no cure" for those who are hell bent on micro-managing other people. (*Again, in many cases, it is often those who "cannot do the tasks" who abuse the authority of overseeing others who actually DO THE WORK!

    I mean, if you are raising a kid, micro-management is almost a requirement, but at work...no thanks!!!
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    • Profile picture of the author Odahh
      Originally Posted by art72 View Post

      Only having dealt with a few clients/employers who elected to micromanage every detail of a project,

      So, from my own personal experiences with "micro-managers" is they are neither conducive, nor productive in most the of the work environments, at least not the work places I was actively functioning. Granted, I do have some patience, tolerance, and forgiveness for people in stressful businesses, environments, or life in general... but, there is "no cure" for those who are hell bent on micro-managing other people. (*Again, in many cases, it is often those who "cannot do the tasks" who abuse the authority of overseeing others who actually DO THE WORK!

      I mean, if you are raising a kid, micro-management is almost a requirement, but at work...no thanks!!!
      My experience with micro managers is different. The ones I have worked for just can't let things work without their input. They can do the tasks and because they are the boss they step in and always point ou when a job isn't getting done how they think it should be done. And tend to stress rather unimportant details.
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      • Profile picture of the author Troy Arrandale
        My first time hiring a virtual assistant, she actually, in a way, needed to micromanage me lol

        In other words she didn't communicate to me what her boundaries were, namely she didn't give me a schedule as to when I could be actively working with her over the phone, etc.

        It occurred to me that because she was a full-time college student, that of course she should not be answering my texts or calls during class. I texted or left voice messages with the expectation that she would call when she was not only done with the class but also her homework. However she texted or called back immediately for some reason interrupting her own schedule.

        I kept saying, are you sure I'm not bothering you? And she kept insisting that I was not.

        Finally one day she just burst out blubbering that I was too much. She had let things go very very far without gently and carefully communicating with me the truth.

        Since truth, gently delivered is exactly what I needed in both life and business, I saw that she was in capable of that, so I asked to part ways with her and I was careful to make sure that with the next virtual assistants I hired that we were clear on all of each others' boundaries.
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  • Profile picture of the author tagiscom
    I would say that having a dream, and boredom don't mix!

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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    I mean, if you are raising a kid, micro-management is almost a requirement, but at work...no thanks!!!

    I don't agree - as a parent, multi-tasking is critical but micro-management can be problematic.
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  • Profile picture of the author Princess Balestra
    Naht in LOTR.

    Them hobbits were real tiny people -- but they slaid the Big Evil Dude real good.

    Also ... misread that as micromenagement.

    Do naht get Moi started on *that* canna woims...
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    Finally one day she just burst out blubbering that I was too much. She had let things go very very far without gently and carefully communicating with me the truth.

    She was probably as new to the idea of being a VA as you were to hiring one. A VA is great when you have a set of repetitive tasks you don't want to spend time doing. Clear instructions, weekly checkin should be enough.


    The exception would be if you are paying the VA or the freelancer by the hours. If so, the conversation time should be included in the hours worked.
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  • Profile picture of the author Wealthkey
    Simply yes, if i am being honest. i find it unnecessary
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