by
Mohammad Hamdan , IT Compliance Sr. Specialist , Hikma Pharmaceuticals
Micromanaging
The word "micro" is derived from the Greek for small. In terms of management it is where the manager takes a close and active role in managing the affairs of a business. Subordinates or employees are closely observed and the manager sets the pace and controls all aspects of an assignment.
Macromanaging
"Macro" comes from the Greek word for large. Frederick Keller defined macromanaging as setting business policy, determining strategy and organizing management. The next step up in the management ladder, a macromanager delegates responsibilities to subordinates.
Who is better?
Every creative leader faces the challenge of building and managing a team. Finding the right folks is half the battle. After you find them, it is your responsibility to manage the team. Great management happens on both a “micro” level and a “macro” level. Micro-management – not the notoriously negative “micromanagement,” but rather what I call the MICRO aspect of management – is all about the day-to-day management that keeps the team on track.
Macro management. Micro managers should not be in a manager position at all, they should be doing the things they micro manage because they don't trust on other employees to be capable of doing it.
Micromanagement is when the manager has to get involved with all the minute details of the business. This type of management is very consuming. Macro-management is when a manager is able to focus on the big picture taking care of strategy and the broad lines of the business while being confident that the team working under his guidance will be able to take care of the details on their own without is direct involvement.
Generally speaking, it is easy to follow the macro-management approach in Western countries like the USA and Europe since systems their allow for that. Conversely, it is often necessary to use a micromanagement approach in Arab countries where the manager finds himself or herself forced to get involved deeply in the minute details of running the business.
Often managers used to the Western macro-management approach find it difficult to adapt at first to the micromanagement style they find themselves forced to follow as they switch to work in Arab countries.
Macro-management is generally a better style of management yet it is not always possible to follow it if the systems and people around you do not support it and call for a micromanagement approach.