Question 2

Apakah kelebihan dan kelemahan mikromanagement dalam organisasi?

The merits of micromanagement are that the employee is constantly corrected, guided,

advised, counseled and mentored by the boss. Micromanagement is good if the employee is new

to the organization and they needed guidance and direction. In doing so the managers are able to

ensure that the target is achieved. It is like an infant being cared and nurtured by his mother. But

over a period of time, the employee feels confident and comfortable in handling and executing the

tasks of his own and would be comfortable in being independent.

However, if the process of micromanagement persists the employee gets discomfort and

feels irritated just as in the case of an adult who is mature but still treated by his mother as still

infant. Micromanagement prevents innovation. Employees cannot come up with new ideas and

procedures on their own; they have to constantly check with the micromanager who is often

unavailable. Workers become drones that wait to be told what to do rather than take risks that come

with innovation. Employees with skills and knowledge will leave such situations and the

organization is left with workers who are content to wait to follow instructions.

Micromanagement slows workflow, as all approvals have to go through the manager who

will not give up control. It is not efficient for normal work to have to wait for approval from an

overzealous manager. Delegation is an essential element in any organization and it is an essential

skill for any manager. Micromanagement prevents an organization from using the talents and skills

of the staff. Employees are hired because they have the knowledge and ability to do a job. If they

are constantly being hovered over by an oppressive manager, then they cannot do the jobs that they

were hired to do. Micromanagement creates a wait to be told culture as employees just wait until

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the deadline approaches and then do the job. Everyone in the organization learns to just wait until

it has to be done and then do what they are told to do. Micromanagement slows progress because

meetings must include the micromanager. Workers learn that if the micromanager has not signed

off on the project there is no use in moving forward unless it is done exactly the way the

micromanager wants it to be done.

Micromanagement retards communication within a school or office and with the

community. Employees should be able to respond to coworkers and with the community without

being held hostage. If the answer is not correct, then it can be corrected. The damage that is caused

by inaccurate communications is not nearly as great as the damage that is caused by

communicating in a timely manner.

Micromanagement discourages teamwork. Workers do not work together; they just have

to work with the micromanager. Managers should encourage everyone in the organization to

constantly be innovating, communicating and improving and this cannot be done if the manager

cannot delegate and respect the work of his or her employees. In some situations, the

micromanager will assign work and then micromanage the work to enable the oppressive manager

to take credit for any positive results, and also to blame the employee for negative results. In this

scenario the micromanager actually delegates the accountability for failure to the worker without

giving them the ability to take initiative that might have made the project a success.

In the case of school in Malaysia, micromanagement take place in two situations. One is

from the school administrator towards teachers and the other is from the teachers towards the

pupils or students. It is safe to say that a proper balance and well managed level of

micromanagement is needed depending on the needs of the situation is necessary and might

produce desirable outcomes but excessive level might be harmful. Therefore, it is crucial for the

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educational administrators at school level ie the principals and the teachers to know the needs of

their clients. Pupils’/students’ needs analysis and teachers’ needs analysis are very crucial in

determining the level of intervention (micromanagement level) needed depending on the situation.

Article & references

1. The Micromanagement Disease: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Cure by Richard D. White, Jr.

2010

2. Lucas, S. L. (2011, August 15). Scientific proof that micro-management is bad for your

company (and how to fix it).

3. Hymowitz, C. (2003). "The Confident Boss Doesn’t Micromanage or Delegate Too Much".

Wall Street Journal - Eastern Edition, B1

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