HACKENSACK, N.J. – Workers often toss around the word “micromanager” to criticize a boss, but unless they get memos saying things like, “It’s 10:46. Let’s meet at 11:03 to talk about the project I need by noon,” they probably aren’t up against the real deal.
“It is a term that’s overused,” said Harry Chambers, author of “My Way or the Highway: The Micromanagement Survival Guide.”
But, Chambers said, the label fits if a manager needs to control just about every moment of your workday and sign off on even the most mundane tasks.
“Micromanagers require excessive control and approvals and often become bottlenecks,” Chambers said. “The problem is that if they have to sign off on the ordering of paper clips, nothing much else gets done.”
A survey Chambers used as the basis of his book shows micromanagers hurt productivity.
The 2005 Workplace Productivity Survey by the Society for Human Resource Management was a bit broader but found workers believe poor management is the No. 1 factor hurting employee productivity.
“When employees tell us that managers are hampering their productivity, HR professionals need to respond by providing manager training, evaluating organizational structure and focusing on ways to address poor management practices,” said Susan R. Meisinger, president and chief executive officer of the society.
Chambers agreed, noting that plenty of workers who get promoted to the ranks of management tend to overcontrol their underlings because they haven’t been shown any other way.
“Typically, someone who is good at what they do gets promoted, but that doesn’t translate into working (well) with others,” he said.
But workers can learn to actually manage the micromanager.
The first thing frustrated employees need to do is realize they’re not alone. The survey outlined in the book found 79 percent of workers think they are or have been micromanaged.
“It’s a huge problem,” Chambers said. “But you don’t have to be a victim.”
He recommends doing an end-run around the overzealous manager by giving updates before they’re requested.
“A simple one-page summary for the boss summarizing your ongoing activity and progress should help,” he said.
But isn’t that unnecessary work that can hamper actual productivity?
“Yes, it’s extra work, but it’s five minutes spent getting in front of the problem rather than dealing with the problem all day.”
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