In the past ten years, I encountered several workplaces where micro management was the way to go for the leadership. That is not necessarily a bad thing. It is not always the best way to manage a team or department either. Especially when the work is complex and executed in an agile way. The way I see it, and have seen it in practice, shows that micro management is a behavioral pattern to gain or keep a perceived feeling of control. That would mean you can change this behavior and replace it for a new behavioral pattern. So, how would you be able to change and quit micro management?
According to Fisher, Amabile & Pillemer, people doing complex work often need more than just superficial advice or encouragement. They need assistance that is both well-timed and appropriate to their issues. The authors explore several strategies:
- Offer your help;
- Time your help wisely;
- Clarify that your role is to help;
- Align the rhythm of your involvement to people’s needs.
Offer your help
For starters, your employees need to know that you’re willing to offer help. And they must feel comfortable asking for it. As a manager, you should have a baseline understanding of their work and its challenges. When you can provide advice or even intervene, it will be much more effective. On the other hand, when it’s necessary to provide help, it’s important you actually have the time and energy to give it. For me as a professional, it is always nice to know I am trusted to make my own decisions and have the mandate to do so. But it also feels quite safe to know your manager has your back when you need it.
Time your help wisely
Trying to prevent every problem that might come up isn’t the best way to go. From the research follows that the leaders perceived most helpful watch and listen until they believe their subordinates see the need for help and are ready to receive it. These leaders understand that people are more willing to welcome assistance when they’re already engaged in a task or a project and have experienced its challenges firsthand. In other words: let the people figure it out themselves first. When the help was provided after problems had emerged rather than beforehand, members understood it and valued it more. Timing isn’t everything, but it helps a lot!
Clarify that your role is to help
Managers play a lot of different roles, and their responsibilities include evaluating employees and share rewards. This power dynamic can get in the way of effective help. Leaders should explicitly mention that they are there to help, not to judge or take over. Fisher, Amabile & Pillemer found in their research that leaders rated as particularly helpful made an effort to persuade subordinates that they were stepping in for one reason only: to support their work.
Align the rhythm of involvement to people’s needs
If the work is complex, creative, and cognitively demanding, you’ll need to engage deeply as a manager. But that means more than delivering help with the right content. It also means allocating time and attention in a pattern that works for the receivers. The authors call this the rhythm of involvement, and it will vary depending on whether employees need guidance in the short term or path clearing over a longer period.
I’ve seen it being quite effective in an agile way of working, where managers participated in the sprint rhythm. For instance, something as simple as participating in the sprint review, is a great way of helping out and remove roadblocks if needed. And it’s highly appreciated by the team. If that didn’t happen and additional stand-ups were initiated, it oftentimes caused frustration among the team members who felt they had ‘another meeting’ to attend.
To conclude…
Failing to frame your role as a manager can allow subordinates to feel threatened and undermined. And using the wrong rhythm, especially not allocating enough time to be an effective guide or path clearer, can lead to superficial or off-target feedback or be perceived as an invasion. Being a hands-on manager is critical. It not only improves employees’ performance, but also lets people feel supported and connected.
It might be insightful to discuss with your colleagues how they perceive your leadership style. Maybe you’re a bit more controlling than you mean to be. If that’s the case, these strategies mentioned here might be helpful to micro manage even less.
Source: Fisher, Amabile & Pillemer in Harvard Business Review January/ February 2021
Essence of Change 