Micromanagement is inappropriate interference in the work of subordinates by supervisors. Most of us are familiar with it, because it's so painful and memorable. Other forms of inappropriate interference are less familiar, perhaps because they happen less often, and because the target of the interference often does have power to respond.

The USS Doyle as DMS-34. It was as this designation that she played the Caine in the film version of The Caine Mutiny. The story turns around a commander who displayed many faults, one of which was a tendency to micromanage. The mutiny in the story can be seen as reverse micromanagement. Photo courtesy NavSource.
Another form of inappropriate interference is reverse micromanagement — interference by subordinates in the work of their organizational superiors. Examples include openly questioning decisions or policies, confrontation, willful disobedience, organizational coups d'etat, or covert insubordination.
Usually, we blame the reverse micromanagers. We advise them to mind their own jobs, or we initiate (or threaten them with) "corrective action plans." Sometimes, the subordinate's own behavior is the sole cause, and these actions do work.
But when there are other causes, focusing on the reverse micromanager probably isn't the answer. And then, even termination won't help, because the other causes remain in place to help create new reverse micromanagers.
Here are some examples of causes that reside beyond the reverse micromanager.
- Failure to lead
- When management's decisions don't make sense to the managed, they often question those decisions, sometimes aloud. Perhaps the decisions are flawed, but often, management simply hasn't worked hard enough to bring about the needed level of understanding.
- Some managers believe that employees should just do what they're told, and that management isn't obliged to lead — an approach that worked better 100 years ago. In today's knowledge-driven organizations, only true leadership works.
- Effective leadership — headlong over a cliff
- When management's decisions
don't make sense to the
managed, they often question
those decisions, sometimes aloud - Sometimes management's decisions are mistaken, and some of the people of the organization know they are. When this happens, some feel the need to question these decisions or otherwise try to put them right. The urge is especially strong if the organization is in a weakened state, or if management has made missteps before.
- Reverse micromanagement in these cases is a gift not to be refused. Still, since it can create difficulty by threatening organizational order, it's best to seek ways to channel these contributions to make them formally acceptable. More important, determine and remove the cause(s) of the missteps.
- Inadequate growth opportunities
- In today's flat, contractor-staffed organizations, the able find too little opportunity for career growth. Some stay in positions they've long ago outgrown. These valuable employees are lost to the organization — a loss that was somehow not accounted for when we flattened the hierarchy or decided to outsource.
- People in these circumstances can become cynical sources of trouble. Find ways to give them paths to success. They're too valuable to let go.
If you're ever micromanaged, you might feel the urge to do something to get your manager to stop micromanaging. Overcome the urge — it's a form of reverse micromanagement. Top
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Micromanagement and reverse micromanagement are just two forms of inappropriate interference in the work of others. Two more are lateral micromanagement and diagonal micromanagement — topics for another time.
For more about micromanagement, see "When Your Boss Is a Micromanager," Point Lookout for December 5, 2001; "There Are No Micromanagers," Point Lookout for January 7, 2004; "Are You Micromanaging Yourself?," Point Lookout for November 24, 2004; and "How to Tell If You Work for a Nanomanager," Point Lookout for March 7, 2007.
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Related articles
More articles on Workplace Politics:
Political Framing: Communications
- In organizational politics, one class of toxic tactics is framing — accusing a group or individual
by offering interpretations of their actions to knowingly and falsely make them seem responsible for
reprehensible or negligent acts. Here are some communications tactics framers use.
Social Entry Strategies: I
- Much more than work happens in the workplace. We also engage in social behaviors, including one sometimes
called social entry. We use social entry strategies to make places for ourselves in social groups at work.
Not Really Part of the Team: I
- Some team members hang back. They show little initiative and have little social contact with other team
members. How does this come about?
Conversation Despots
- Some people insist that conversations reach their personally favored conclusions, no matter what others
want. Here are some of their tactics.
The Discontinuity Effect: What and Why
- Counterproductive competition is more likely in group-group interactions than in one-to-one or one-to-group
interactions. Why does counterproductive competition happen?
See also Workplace Politics and Emotions at Work for more related articles.
Forthcoming issues of Point Lookout
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- To take the risks that learning and practicing new ways require, we all need a sense that trial-and-error approaches are safe. Organizations seeking to improve processes would do well to begin by assessing their level of psychological safety. Available here and by RSS on December 13.
And on December 20: Contrary Indicators of Psychological Safety: II
- When we begin using new tools or processes, we make mistakes. Practice is the cure, but practice can be scary if the grace period for early mistakes is too short. For teams adopting new methods, psychological safety is a fundamental component of success. Available here and by RSS on December 20.
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Beware any resource that speaks of "winning" at workplace politics or "defeating" it. You can benefit or not, but there is no score-keeping, and it isn't a game.
- Wikipedia has a nice article with a list of additional resources
- Some public libraries offer collections. Here's an example from Saskatoon.
- Check my own links collection
- LinkedIn's Office Politics discussion group