Micromanagement Causes Employee Stress Micromanagement

Micromanagement Causes Employee Stress

Micromanagement has become the new generation's most categorically leveled insult, with regard to complaints about management. Accusing a manger of being a micromanager is complicated and some argue that it is simply a result of employee resistance to training and supervision, yet others argue that a micro-manger is intolerable and ineffective, as he or she concentrates so much on the small details that they cannot see the big picture, not to mention that they tend to seriously stress out employees. (Small Business Resources.com, 2006, NP) Defining micro-management is not easy, as definitions vary and perception is often the defining characteristic. For the purposes of this work, a micro-manger is defined as an individual supervisor who is excessively concentrated on details, to the point that an individual feels as if they are not trusted and/or respected and this increases the stress of their workplace and life. Dictionary.com defines micromanagement as "to manage or control with excessive attention to minor details." ("Micromanagement," 2008, NP) the purpose of this research is to determine if managers who express, or who are perceived to express micro management tendencies create stress in the workplace for employees. This was tested utilizing a blind survey, where respondents were asked a series of questions regarding general feelings about management style and additional questions regarding their perceived stress levels. To some degree the history of this hypothesis statement is defined by popular culture, as many employees and especially new employees express sentiments about feeling over managed by attention to detail and yet little scholarly research has been conducted that explores this sentiment.

Methodology:

Research conducted for this work was a series of 9 questions regarding the nature of perceived management style and stress associated with work, and an additional question regarding gender demographic. The survey was conducted utilizing Survey Monkey and 20 blind respondents were surveyed and completed the questionnaire. The survey was completed in about 10 days, by the desired number of participants (n 20) the general finding was that employees who ranked managers as having micro tendencies were more likely to affirm stress through answers to stress related questions.

Secondary research is limited in that as has been stated before there is very little scholarly research on this topic. In an article found in School Administrator a group of experts reviewed research findings regarding the level at which governing school boards have become micro-managers. What they found in their research was that there is an increasing trend for these governing board members to usurp the traditional roles of superintendents and administrators by interfering with and making decisions about day-to-day running of schools rather than sticking with the overseer and micromanagement goals of understanding and working toward a larger goal. The research does not specifically demonstrate the stress level of administrators and superintendents that have been micro-managed by school boards but the flavor of the work expresses that many of these individuals see micro-management as a problem that makes them less effective as leaders. (Frase, English & Poston, 2001, p. 44) Another researcher in the same journal offers defining ways in which micro-management by school boards can be avoided, the main requisite being to have a strong definition of the role of the board and a strong leadership within administration and the superintendent. (Eadie, 2005, p. 8) Once again this article does not discuss the employee feelings and concerns directly. Additionally neither of these articles, though they are research based address the micro-manger on an administrative level. One internet article offered by Small Business Resources defines and argues that micromanagement is a necessary evil, but that is productive in many situations and unproductive in others. (Small Business Resources.com, 2006, NP) in an article that is more focused on business one expert offers advice regarding the importance of delegation, as apposed to retaining micro-management control over all tasks, which is usually not productive or manageable in the long-term.

Effective delegation requires managers to abandon any preconceived notions they have about the process. Contrary to popular belief, delegation does not mean you have to give up control. "If done effectively, delegation can provide you with more control," Davis explains. "The key is to ensure that your employees understand your expectations and keep you informed about their decisions before they implement them." (Brown, 1998, p. 76)

For the most part this article focuses on how micro-managing negatively affects the manager, i.e. overburdening them with tasks that could easily be given to others. One final article demonstrates the connectivity of micromanagement to employee stress through an analysis of the interdependent vs. autonomous roles of two medical care providers (in this case the anesthesiologist and the nurse anesthetist). The work is one of very few that drives the point home, that micromanagement causes employee stress but it is also clear that stress is mutual, for the manager and the managed. The work offers solutions that are more touchy feely than others, including using kindness on both parts to communicate and develop a sense of trust between management and employee. (Jameson, 2004, p. 257)

Results:

In general those who responded to micro management questions, with the perceptions that their supervisor had micromanagement tendencies were much more likely to respond to stress questions affirmatively. For instance those who answered question 1 (My immediate supervisor over communicates what is expected of me) with an agreement or a strong agreement were almost twice as like to respond affirmatively to question 2 (I find my workload is unrealistic and stressful) with either agree or strongly agree. Although 16 of the 20 respondents responded to question 3 (My immediate supervisor treats me with respect and dignity) with strong agreement or agreement those who disagreed (2) also answered yes to question 1. Question 4 (I find my work demands often interfere with my family life) resulted in 12 respondents who agreed or strongly agreed with the statement and were slightly more likely to respond to question 1 in agreement or strong agreement. Question 5 (My supervisor keeps his/her commitments) resulted in most respondents affirming by answering agree or strongly agree to the question (14) but again those who responded with disagreement or strong disagreement were much more likely to affirm question 1. Question 6 (I feel disencouraged to come up with new and better ways to do things) resulted in a split response with 8 people responding in agreement or strong agreement 2 people responding with Not sure and 10 responding with strong disagreement or disagreement and again those who answered question 1 in the affirmative were more likely to answer in disagreement to this question. Question 7 (Do you feel you are working under a microscope?) resulted in 9 strong agreement or agreement and 8 who responded in disagreement or strong disagreement with 2 responding Not Sure and again those who characterized their boss as a micromanager by other answers again did so here. Question 8 (My supervisor never admits when he/she is wrong, provided an inconclusive response simply because the question does not elicit results for either stress or micromanagement and may have been misunderstood by respondents. Question 9 (I feel my boss makes all decisions without considering suggestions resulted in a pattern of disagreement by many who answered other micro questions in the affirmative as well. The final question (10) determined gender of respondents (male 6) (female 14) but the sample is not large enough to determine if there is any gendered pattern of responses or perception. As you can see from the comparison of these two graphs, containing individual answers to question 7 and question 2, there is a strong correlation between micro management tendencies, i.e. The feeling of working under a microscope and stress the feeling of having unrealistic and stressful workloads.