How do I deal with a micromanager?

Ask
I work in education. Our hierarchical superior is fair and accessible; they have a wealth of corporate knowledge and have been managers in this organization for over a decade.

Recently, a change in the hierarchy has led to a senior member of the organization being installed above that manager, who has since been sidelined and sidelined. I am aware that our processes can improve, but the way everything is managed is very micro. We are no longer treated as adults with (considerable) abilities.

What is the best way to handle a micromanager?

Answer
When leaders see a problem, of course they should try to fix it; in fact, they have a duty to do so. But they also have a responsibility to make sure their response is proportionate.

This change in structure may have been done in good faith, in the hope of improving processes, but it seems to have gone too far. When you push an experienced and well-respected manager to the fringes of an organization and install a micro-manager in their place, you will simply exacerbate the problem or (at best) replace one problem with another.

I asked Professor Karin Sanders from the School of Management and Governance at the University of New South Wales how she sees her situation.

“This is a difficult and challenging task. The COVID pandemic has taught us that micromanagement is not necessary (and not sustainable during the time we were all working from home),” she said. “Managers can trust employees to do their jobs even when they’re not in the office and not between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.”

It sounds like your work is, at least to some extent, back in the office now, but that doesn’t make micromanagement right. Professor Sanders says that when considering ways to handle this new manager, it’s important to keep in mind that his style probably says more about them than it does about you and shows his uncertainty.

With this in mind, Sanders believes that a small change in his work patterns could have a big effect on the manager.