Management Styles – Macromanagement VS Micromanagement

It’s inevitable for every organisation to have a wide array of personalities present in the workplace. This of course, also means that various individuals will adopt different management styles. There isn’t actually a wrong or right answer in terms of which management style a person should practice with their team but it certainly is worth knowing about the pros and cons of the most common types of management techniques that exist.

In light of this therefore, we will keep it general and broad this time by exploring the differences between the macro and micro management styles.

Micromanagement:

Let’s start by having a closer look at what micromanagement even stands for. According to popular businesses like HR Zone, micromanagement is a negative term that refers to a management style characterised by extremely close supervision and control of the minor details of an individual’s workload and output. It is essentially a type of management style, which involves a senior member of staff being in close contact with their subordinates. With this in mind therefore, would it be advisable to embrace this type of management style? Let’s evaluate further.

Benefits:

As you can imagine, several wouldn’t be favourable of this type of management style because of how uncomfortable it can become. However, on the flipside, having a close relation with your manager also means that most of your questions regarding any of the tasks will be answered at a more rapid pace.

Drawbacks:

On the other hand, as mentioned before, micromanagement can cause a feeling of discomfort and make you feel that you’re always being watched for absolutely everything! For example, even if your office storage area or office desk were untidy and cluttered, it would be no surprise for you to be interrogated about it by your line manager.

Macromanagement:

It’s now time to get a greater insight into a completely opposite style of management to the one we just spoke about above. This one is also commonly known as macromanagement. A typical macro manager lets employees carry out their designated tasks and duties with minimal supervision.

These type of managers are also great supporters of autonomous and independent type way of working. They are also calm and laid back in temperament, which is why many workers prefer dealing with these type of managers on a day-to-day basis.

Benefits:

As macro mangers have a relaxed, cooperative and more understanding personality, they are likely to be more willing to meet any of your needs especially the basic ones, without you experiencing any form of unnecessary hassle. For example if you wish to order more comfortable and ergonomic office chairs in order to work in the most optimal way, then trust your macro manager to help you out on this.

All a macro manager really wants is for you to have all the essentials so you can just get on with your tasks in the most effective way even if that means ordering high-end luxury office furniture to keep you engaged and productive at all times.

Drawbacks:

Sometimes the macro manager can seem a bit too disconnected and aloof from the rest of the team. You’re basically the captain of your own ship, which means it’s entirely up to you to get the work done. All the macro manager will do is check that the work is done and the deadline is met and that’s it most of the time. In a nutshell, don’t expect regular guidance or direction with this type of management style.

Summary:

It’s fair to say, micromanagement and macromanagement can both bring a number of benefits and drawbacks. The best course of action would be to balance it out and dip into both types of management styles when working with your team. You can enjoy the best of both worlds if you work in this way and find a middle ground between these management styles. To conclude, when it comes to management, the moral of the story is to strike a balance if you wish to see wonderful results from your employees.

Calibre Office Furniture would like to thank OPInfo Blog for the opportunity to post on their superb blog. 

Article written by Aarti Ohri from Calibre Office Furniture.