Micromanagement

Definition

A management style characterized by excessive control, oversight, and involvement in minor details. It's what happens when a manager is insecure, incompetent, or has nothing else to do.

Example Usage

The VP's micromanagement reached new heights when she required approval for coffee orders and Slack messages over 50 words.

Origin

Term formalized in management literature in the 1980s-1990s.

Fun Fact

Micromanagement is a top reason employees leave jobs, yet it remains the default style of many managers.

Source: Management Styles and Problems

Related Terms

Beginner

enrolment

The process of officially signing someone up to participate in a program, class, or organization—the bureaucratic moment when you become a statistic. It's the headcount that justifies the program's existence in spreadsheets everywhere.

👥 Human Resources

Beginner

FNG

The 'New Guy/Gal' (with a more colorful adjective), referring to the newest team member who doesn't yet understand unspoken rules, inside jokes, or why everyone hates the quarterly all-hands meetings. Every workplace has one, and we've all been one.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

wage compression

When new hires are paid nearly as much (or more) than experienced employees because market rates have risen but existing salaries haven't kept pace. It's a morale-killing recipe for resentment and quiet quitting.

👥 Human Resources

Beginner

seniority

A system where tenure and time-served trump talent and performance when determining privileges, promotions, or layoff protection. It's the organizational equivalent of "I was here first, so I get the good parking spot," which works great until you realize the person with seniority peaked in 1987. The union's best friend and the merit-based manager's worst nightmare.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

time to productivity

The period between when an employee starts and when they actually contribute value rather than just attending orientation sessions and asking where the bathroom is. It's HR's acknowledgment that new hires are expensive decorative objects for a while.

👥 Human Resources

Beginner

360-degree feedback

A performance evaluation process where employees receive confidential, anonymous feedback from everyone around them—supervisors, peers, subordinates, and sometimes clients. It's like being roasted from all directions, but professionally.

👥 Human Resources

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