Examining the Micromanager

Micromanagement is a form of authoritarian leadership in which employees

are treated as incapable of making decisions or doing the job correctly without the
leaders constant instruction and involvement. Micromanagement occurs because
supervisors believe they must stay on top of things at all times to prevent mistakes
or to make sure the work gets done. Unfortunately, some supervisors believe this is
what managers are supposed to do (McConnell, 212).
There are a number of reasons why micromanagers behave the way they do.
Some are simple and some are more complex. A micromanager uses a strict
leadership style because there could be a pressure from higher management to
produce many positive outcomes in a short amount of time. A micromanager could
have had a bad experience or failed in the past as a manager, using a different
leadership style and therefore feels the need to micromanage. Additionally, a
micromanager might simply have a perfectionist personality and be extremely
detailed oriented. More complex reasons for micromanagement are the managers
need for control comes from insecurities and a lack of confidence, psychological
reasons, or problems at home or in their personal life.
Supervisors who attempt to lead by micromanaging employees are destined
for failure in the long run. Micromanagers will fail because the type of leadership
style they use leaves no room for mistakes. Therefore, when a mistake does occur
the employees will not know how to correct it. Another reason they will fail as
managers is because they belittle their staff, lower morale, and repress
opportunities, advice, and suggestions of their employees. Their team will become
unmotivated, creating a decrease in the work ethic because the work is not being

delegated correctly. Micromanagement also discourages employees and team

members from making decisions, hindering beneficial work processes. This halts the
employees from advancing in their growth and development, becoming stagnant
employees opposed to valuable.
In conclusion, micromanagement is a type of authoritarian leadership style
where the manager has little faith in their team, creating tension and ultimately
poor work performances. Micromanagers behave the way they do because they feel
the need to control everything that is occurring because of strict work
circumstances, past work experiences, or more complex psychological reasons.
Micromanagement will eventually lead to failure because it creates a sense of
distrust among the manager and their employees, causing poor outcomes and a
displeasing work environment.

References
McConnell, C. R. (2014). Umiker's Management Skills for the New Health Care
Supervisor. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.