Micromanagement vs. Mentoring.

History

When we talk about mentoring, everyone understands it as a relationship where a more experienced employee provides advice, guidance, support, and perhaps most importantly, feedback to a less experienced colleague or employee. The concept of mentorship has existed for centuries, with roots in ancient Greece where masters passed on their skills and knowledge to apprentices.

On the other hand, micromanagement is a style of management characterized by fairly strict supervision and control over the work of colleagues/employees. This approach often involves closely monitoring their work, giving more or less detailed instructions, and frequent checks to ensure tasks are completed as intended. The concept of micromanagement is often associated with traditional, hierarchical leadership styles.

However, before we go further, it's important to note that mentoring is a more long-term process with clear and beneficial outcomes for all parties. Micromanagement is a much faster process; problems seemingly get resolved quicker and more systematically, but the true root causes of the issues remain. Micromanagement does not address the root cause of problems.

Although mentoring also has its history, in some situations/companies, micromanagement becomes the dominant way of working. Why is this the case?

– The desire for control.

The Desire for Control

The desire for control is a fundamental aspect of human nature and is closely linked to various cognitive processes and brain functions. It is driven by numerous factors, including the need for security, the desire for predictability and stability, and the need for emotion regulation and stress management. From a cognitive perspective, the desire for control is associated with the brain's "executive function," which is responsible for decision-making, planning, and goal-oriented behavior. So-called goal-oriented individuals.

Individuals who have a high desire for control can often encounter problems adapting to new situations and may experience anxiety when they feel their power of control is diminished and/or threatened.

The Desire for Control – Is It All Bad?

From a neurobiological perspective, the desire for control is linked to the activation of specific brain regions, including the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for "executive function" and decision-making, while the amygdala is involved in emotion regulation and stress response. However, it is a fact that individuals with a strong desire for a sense of control typically have increased activity in the prefrontal cortex and decreased activity in the amygdala. From this, it can be concluded that the desire for control can positively influence decision-making, planning, and emotion regulation.

If we look from the perspective of the "controller," then the desire for control is good. However...

What does Micromanagement do to our Cognitive Functions?

Micromanagement can have a negative impact on employees' cognitive functions by causing stress and reducing creativity and motivation. It can also lead to decreased focus, increased anxiety, and reduced job satisfaction. Furthermore, excessive control and supervision can lead to a loss of autonomy for our colleagues. In a highly structured society where human lives are "filed away" in Outlook or Google calendars, and where creativity is increasingly scarce, removing employees' autonomy, which is a crucial factor for creativity and innovation, can be quite problematic. Additionally, the feeling of constant surveillance and potential questioning of our decisions can lead to a lack of self-confidence. Consequently, a lack of self-confidence can be closely linked to employees' problem-solving and decision-making abilities.

For employees who are micromanaged, as we said, this will lead to increased stress and anxiety, which will likely end with the organism's so-called fight-or-flight response, activating the "fight or flight mechanism" which in turn triggers the release of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. This response leads to cognitive deficits such as an inability to multitask, poorer memory, and decreased motivation.

Although the same parts of the brain are "involved" in both those who manage and those who are managed, the brain's reactions are, as expected, completely different. And all the advantages of "activating" those brain parts disappear.

Additionally, besides the prefrontal cortex and amygdala, in micromanaged employees, the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory and learning, also becomes activated.

Long-term stress and anxiety will have a negative effect on the hippocampus, leading to problems with memory and learning new things.

Benefits of Mentoring

Of course, mentoring is a far better option in relationships with our colleagues and employees. Besides the fact that younger generations, we can say, demand mentoring relationships, mentorship itself offers numerous benefits to both the mentor and the mentee.

Some of the benefits include:

• Perhaps the most important benefit is skill development (both job-related and human/soft skills). Through this approach, mentees gain new perspectives and develop their knowledge and expertise.
• Professional development of employees.
• Increased self-awareness where mentees have the opportunity to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses, as well as personal and professional goals.
• Greater self-confidence.
• ...

And finally, no less important, the mentoring relationship creates security for the mentored colleague/employee, and from security, belief and trust will develop, and thus loyalty.

Mentoring is one of the most important steps in retaining employees, that is, reducing turnover in our companies.