Buzz of the Week: The cost of micromanagement

The surest way to kill the morale of a team is to micromanage it. According to some readers, many federal managers have quite a talent for it.

The topic came up last week when we posted an open-ended query on the “FCW Insider” blog: What could your agency or manager do to make you happier on the job? One reader — the first to post a comment, in fact — brought up the problem of micromanagement, and a dozen others followed suit.

That first reader, Jackie, who works in the Defense Department, made a compelling case for the long-term damage done by micromanagers. The first casualty is innovation, because employees no longer feel comfortable thinking for themselves and pitching new ideas.

“Innovation and creativity are the enemies of senior management, and have even been referred to as ‘Cowboy Culture,’ likened to lawlessness in the early Wild West,” Jackie wrote. Eventually, the best employees end up leaving, making life miserable for the remaining team members.

One reader speculates that bad management is so pervasive because it is passed from generation to generation of DOD leaders. In some cases, DOD managers rise through the ranks by learning to work in a dysfunctional environment, Vance suggests.

“They know how to manage up, but they have been mismanaged throughout their careers and use that training as guidance to mismanage once they obtain their high status,” Vance writes.

That supposition gains credence from a commenter named Ken, who sounds stuck in a classic middle management job. “Even as line management, I am not authorized to approve anything except time cards.”
Is micromanagement that pervasive in the federal government? What other problems would you like to see your agency or manager address?

Share your thoughts by posting a comment on the FCW Insider blog. Or you can e-mail your thoughts to letters@fcw.com (subject line: Workforce) and we will post it for you.

Comments should range in length from 75 to 175 words and be clear, constructive and specific. We will publish a selection of the comments we receive, along with commentary by management experts, in an upcoming issue.

Please let us know whether we can use your name or whether you would prefer to remain anonymous.


FCW CAPTION CONTEST

10 examples of work as a laughing matter

After receiving a steady stream of entries for the FCW Caption Contest during the last two weeks, we can safely say this: Federal employees are always good for a laugh.

FCW cartoonist John Klossner, who provided the original drawing sans dialogue or punchline, picked his favorite entry (shown below), submitted by “nonobaddog.” He also highlighted nine other strong contenders, listed in no particular order. Thanks to everyone who participated.

The runners-up:
“Engineering says the rest of the boat won’t be ready until FY10.”    — Robert Ferrell

“Who’s in charge of yelling ‘Oars up!’ when the boss walks in?”     — crafty

 “The vendor did such a good job at installation…you can’t see the chains” — thebestvendor

“Aren’t ya glad you’re not a GS-9 anymore?”— mycroftxxx

“Everyone…ramming speed!”    — fjc33

“So…when will Halliburton deliver the water?”    — Barry

“Give them a challenge. Take away the paddles on the left side!!”    — Zap1660

“I see now why the office softball team isn’t doing so well this season.”     — KSt

“It’s cloudy and the winds are calm. So we’ve switched over to our backup power generator.”      — mbonino