Micro management
Micro-managing is a Disease (Listen to the Project from Hell podcast on Micromanagement)We heard from a PM the other day who blamed the high project failure rate globally (70%+ on IT projects) on PMs coddling their team members. -----She said, "If these wimp project managers would spend less time nurturing and more time checking up on the work their team members do, their projects wouldn't fail all the time! I promise you that when I check someone's work 3 or 4 times each day, know the work is important and get off their butt to get it done. That's the key to project success."-----Has nuturing gone too far?
posted by Dick Billows, PMP, GCA @ 3:13 PM
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15 Comments:
I'm not a project manager, yet, but I've had PM jerks who check my work too often like the clown who wrote in. I promise you I don't get off my butt for them. In fact, when a PM treats me like a dope, I get the job done but its not my best work.
I can't believe there are still people trying to manage with threats and intimidation. Dictators, whether they are running a country or a project, ultimately get what's coming to them. No one likes to be "ruled" and it's just a matter of time before the team finds ways to make these dictators' lives miserable and get them banished.
My current manager is the worst micromanager I have ever seen. He is 10 years younger than any of the project team and I think he's trying to prove himself by micromanaging the rest of us. Any advice on how to change his management techniques?
This style never works, and yet some people just can't bear to let someone else have control. It's pathetic and it NEVER works!
A fellow PM in my organization is a total micromanager and his team is underchallenged and unmotivated. He doesn't understand why my team consistently finishes their work on time while his doesn't. He's chalked it up to a bad team, but come on! Becky's right. I've tried to tell him to trust them but it's just not his nature. Guess I'll be the one with the successful projects.
I totally disagree, when you stop by a TMs cubicle a couple of times a day it really sends them the message that they should NOT be screwing around and they're working on an important task. Do you really think people will do their best work without being checked up on?
Checking someone's work 3-4 times a day? Is this a management problem or a performance problem? If someone's work is being checked that often, what's their motivation to actually perform the work? Likely the work gets done during the checks - through review and feedback.
I would like to say fire them, but the reality of it is that for far too long we as leaders and managers have let marginal performers drift in and out of projects without any real development plans or exit strategies. As the manager you have to have the difficult discussions around performance, but first you have to have a discussion around expectations (my earlier blog). Once you set the expectations then it is your job as the manager to deal with the non-capable person. If your whole team is uncapable, first I'm sorry, second I hope you have experienced peers to lean on, and if not there is a reason you are the manager, but I find it hard to believe that a whole team would be uncapable. Capability is not the only root cause of poor performance.
I am an office Manager in a mental health clinic. I have 4 women who work for me. One of the ladies is 21 and she has been working for us for 3 years. But for the past 5 months I have been on her about doing her work. Someone told me that I need to micro manage her. I feel I should not be babysitting someone who knows what their job is. What should I do?
If you have to check 3-4 times a day then there is a serious motivation issue. I find that those employed in a low-pay environment are the hardest to motivate. Employees produce best when there is a goal or reward to obtain or other method. If I know that my salary stays the same regardless of what happens, then I am unlikely to be motivated to do more or faster.
I agree that micro-management is a sign of an underperforming team or team member, and unfortunately, in a hierarchical organization structure (like the military or government contracting) an easy answer is to apply formal or penalty power intimidation by frequent daily checks – typical McGregor Theory X. I also agree with other posts that the likely cause of poor performers is a lack of motivation, and although we often can’t tie long term remunerative measures like salary increases to performances, there are other approaches to motivation. In my org we have other motivators open to us we can tie to performance such as: one time measures (bonuses), recognition, increased responsibility, more control over their working conditions (the ability to telecommute more), etc. and these are often more effective than micro-management. That said, I also understand there are times when a particular job classification is both hard to fill and requires a large learning curve, and you have a poor performer currently doing the job. While you may not feel you can ask, “What can I do to help?” or, “What will help you to feel better about your job?” not asking won’t change anything either.
I had a project manager in one of my earlier project who was micro managing me all the time... I felt bad and gave not my best work... it was horrible to work with him....
- Vel
If micro managers want to be baby sitters they should be paid accordingly- as an owner I want my LEADERS to working from the business plan growing the business thru sharing the vision and empowering the rest of the staff to reach new heights.
A former associate in the same position title as myself and is now my Manager. Their technique is to Micro-Manage every detail of my work day in and day out. Which consist of e-mail assigned time frame check in's and their approval of daily-weekly detail deadline assignments. Along with doing daily paperwork that no one ever sees in the Company. I am only to report any questions or situations to them and no other team members in the company. The irony of it all is when I worked with them in their former position they never did any of these tasks.
I currently have a micro-manager who is also 15 years younger than me. She does hold up my work, by checking everything more than 3-4 times a day. Often I can't save a Word file because I know she is in it reading it. Other times I can't run a program because she has the output open and it won't overwrite an open file. I have had to modify my work methods and now spend a lot of time copying things back and forth to my desktop. I was getting very upset and making all sorts of assumptions about her behaviour, until I heard what Joe Biden said during his debate with Sarah Palin about other senators "Question their method, not their motives" Once I did that, I realized she can't help herself because her personality if obsessive-compulsive. Now I try to leverage her obsession by letting her manage the to-do lists for me, much like a personal secretary. Ha.
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