Getting involved in the daily activities around the office is not always a bad thing; however, micromanagement and involvement are not the same thing. Micromanagement is not all bad, but this management strategy does have a few negative effects. Read about the effects of micromanagement within a business below:
Short-term
If micromanagement is used appropriately over a short period, it can be beneficial to the company. Micromanagement can be used to effectively train new staff. Once these new employees have undergone training, the micromanagement should stop to allow them to continue working independently. Micromanagement can also be used to motivate underperforming employees.
Loss of motivation
In the long run, micromanagement can be detrimental to the performance of your employees. Constant micromanagement will make employees feel as though they are not good enough at what they do. The persistent shadow over their shoulder will make them work harder initially, but as time passes, they will lose their motivation as they will feel unappreciated.
Decreased productivity
Long-term micromanagement will have a ripple effect. As your employees lose motivation to complete their work, there will be a decrease in productivity. The decrease in productivity also comes from the constant interruption of the micromanager, pushing their ideas and changes onto the employee and slowing their work pace.
Losing valuable creativity
Employees that are micromanaged will learn to do only what they are told to, decreasing their engagement. Their decreased engagement means that they are less likely to present new ideas or help solve problems with unique solutions. As employee motivation and productivity is dampened by micromanagement, valuable creative ideas are lost.