The Hindu Business Line : Micromanagement

MANAGEMENT literature frowns on micromanagement. This is a trait routinely attributed to an unpopular or unsuccessful CEO. Instead of leading, motivating, empowering, delegating and facilitating, a micromanager is supposed to get lost in the minutiae of his job and take upon himself the responsibility that properly belongs to his subordinates.

His defence normally is that if he is sure of a solution or course of action, it is pointless, just for the sake of form or protocol, to let his subordinates take their own time to grapple with it and wait until they pass the buck upwards.

Further, occupying a higher level, vested with greater powers and clearer vision, he considers himself better equipped to grasp and dispose of issues faster and better.

Whatever the merits of the reasoning, the result is that a micromanager confuses the roles of a coach and a player and tends to breathe down the necks of his associates.

They may see it as a sign of lack of trust or denial of opportunities to prove themselves and be groomed for higher responsibilities.

On the other hand, there is the old saying that the devil is in the detail, and a manager cannot be informed in taking decisions and effective in implementing them unless he brings his judgment and authority to bear on the tasks from the earliest stage possible. How to resolve the conundrum?

As in all matters pertaining to mundane affairs and human beings, the question cannot be approached in "either-or" or black-or-white terms. Different human beings respond to different kinds of approaches in different ways.

They are not mechanical robots amenable to dogmatic prescriptions without regard to the character, needs and goals of the organisation. Small enterprises cannot do without, and even can benefit from, micromanagement.

It has its usefulness in running a pioneering venture or in tackling crises. In an organisation fostering a truly participative culture which encourages team spirit and promotes emotional identification on the part the employees with its goals and objectives, the distinction may even become irrelevant.

In short, micromanagement is not a defect militating against sound management practices. Indeed, enlightened leadership is a blend of micro and macro management, endowed with the discrimination to suit it to circumstances as they arise.

B. S. Raghavan