Micro Management: Understanding and Addressing the Issue
Micromanagement involves concentrating on small issues, exercising excessive control, and spending too much time on details. It is often seen as an obsessive disorder at higher levels of management.
How to Control Micromanagement?
Naturally, some higher officials want to know details and provide elaborate instructions to subordinates to achieve goals or improve work outcomes. This tendency can be mitigated by providing intensive training on delegating powers to subordinates or allowing more capable individuals to handle tasks independently. This approach will reduce the tendency of senior officials to micromanage.
Delegating financial powers, purchasing powers, and the authority to reward or motivate junior-level employees without interfering in their work environment can help. The culture of local employees should be considered to avoid micromanagement. Officials should be trained to understand the local culture, especially in multinational companies, where familiarity with the host nation's culture can secure better outcomes. They should avoid implementing unnecessary procedures that disrupt the work culture, focusing instead on improving work quality and avoiding conflicts. Officials should refrain from seeking minute details when working with local people who are not part of the organization's staff.
Avoid bullying; instead, invite subordinates for dining and appreciate their work culture in getting the job done.
The Importance of Delegation and Trust
The first and foremost thing an official should know is that they cannot have all the details at their table, which is beneficial in avoiding local political interference. This understanding helps prevent micromanagement at all levels. My explanation is not exhaustive, only a sketch.
Telecommuting: A Strategy to Avoid Micromanagement
Telecommuting, or working from home, can help avoid micromanagement. The focus should be on getting the work done rather than requesting all the details of how it was completed. This is not an inquiry report for postmortem; the goal is to be achieved, so supervising is the best approach rather than micromanaging. Micromanaging should be left to the supervisor, not the higher official who expects results rather than detailed elaboration.
Trust, accountability, attitude, and culture are crucial, and subordinates should be well-informed. Otherwise, higher officials may develop obsessive, disorder-oriented, and micromanaging behavior.
Hope this is simple.
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