What is macromanagement: Are you delegating or are you neglecting?

Employees often see a macro-manager as a kind and trusting boss who focuses on the big picture and overall results, rather than individual work habits or day-to-day tasks. However, macro-managers can also be perceived as distant and less engaged in daily operations, which may result in a lack of awareness of ongoing issues.

What is macromanagement?

Unlike micromanagement, where the manager closely monitors and controls every detail of an employee's work, macromanagement is a more hands-off approach. In this style, managers step back and allow employees to work independently, as long as they meet the desired outcomes. Macro-managers prioritize independence and self-reliance, trusting their teams to deliver results without constant oversight.

For micromanagement, the manager tends to set specific goals and actions for the team members to follow. In contrast, a macro-manager identifies the objectives while setting boundaries that inform the team of what not to do. The manager's role in this scenario is to guide members back within the boundaries when they start to drift outside the "right things to do".

Micro vs. Macromanagement: What’s the difference?

	Macromanagement	Micromanagement
Approach	Focuses on the big picture. Managers set broad goals and strategies, trusting team members to handle the specifics.	Involves close, detailed supervision of tasks and processes. Managers focus on small details and often direct each step, ensuring that tasks are completed exactly as envisioned.
Level of control	Offers team members more autonomy, allowing them the freedom to decide how to achieve their tasks.	Involves a high level of control over team activities. Managers monitor tasks closely, often giving specific instructions and frequently checking in on progress.
How decisions are made	Decision-making is decentralized, empowering team members to make choices within their areas of expertise.	Decision-making is centralized, with the manager making most, if not all, of the decisions.
Advantages	Promotes creativity, innovation, and employee satisfaction as team members feel trusted and empowered.	Ensures consistency and accuracy in task completion, which can be beneficial in roles that require precision or strict adherence to procedures.
Disadvantages	Risks miscommunication or lack of guidance, especially if employees are not self-motivated or need more structure.	Often leads to employee frustration, low morale, and reduced innovation.
Best for	Suited for creative roles, strategic positions, and organizations that value innovation.	Works best in high-stakes environments where accuracy is critical (e.g., healthcare, finance) or when managing less experienced teams who need close guidance.

"Don’t micro-manage. Macro-manage" (?)

Why did Mona Patel, founder and CEO of Motivate Design, make this statement?

Becoming a great manager is a huge challenge. Unfortunately, over-supervision, also known as micromanagement, has become more common in organizations today. The fear of being held accountable for their team's results has led many managers to take extreme measures in closely monitoring their employees.

This often results in employees becoming overly dependent on their manager, unable to produce results independently, or feeling frustrated from being denied the freedom to work their way. Recent reports reveal that 48% of employees worldwide are dissatisfied with their jobs. Harvard Business Review notes that micro-management is a significant contributor to these statistics.

What’s the solution? According to Patel, instead of micro-managing, try macro-managing, focusing more on the "big picture" and less on daily details. In this management style, a manager should offer broad guidance for small tasks, concentrate on larger company trends and strategies, and mentor lower-level managers on how to work effectively with their teams.

Why is macromanagement more effective?

Employees work with more autonomy

As mentioned above, a macro-manager cares most about the result. The leader can present ideas to the team and ask them to use their expertise to execute them, rather than giving detailed step-by-step instructions. Under a macro-manager, employees are allowed to showcase their abilities, with the space and time to grow and develop themselves.

A wise leader prioritizes self-discipline and creativity by focusing on goals and strategies, not on the specifics of working hours or minor reports. In this environment, team members feel recognized and empowered to come up with new ideas and find optimal solutions to old problems.

A healthy work environment

Employees tend to dread working under a micromanager because of the tight control and interference in their work processes. With a macro manager, you don't have to fear being watched 24/7 or worry about being constantly pressured to complete tasks, you’re free to work in a way that suits you, as long as your productivity isn't compromised.

Employees focus on skill development

A macro manager always has a strategic vision and understands that human resources are the core of an organization. Focusing on training and developing employees' skills brings numerous benefits. A smart manager turns the team into a powerful extension to execute ideas, while they focus on creating strategies to stabilize and grow the organization. Therefore, the smartest investment is in people.

A strong team consists of strong individuals who can collaborate:

Improved teamwork: Being given full responsibility for a project or task forces employees to figure out how to work together. A healthy workplace culture is one where employees bond and collaborate smoothly, if they can't, they will naturally be filtered out of the company.
Self-improvement: Under macromanagement, employees focus more on their work, as they are given full responsibility to solve difficult problems on their own. With responsibility comes the drive to enhance their skills and knowledge independently to achieve the best results possible.

Overall, macromanagement emphasizes fostering creative thinking and problem-solving within teams, rather than managing tasks by strict standards.

However, one thing managers should always keep in mind: macromanagement doesn’t mean abandoning your team and leaving them to fend for themselves.

Reminder: The thin line between delegation and neglect

You've probably heard plenty of negative things about micromanagement, but rarely about the downsides of macromanagement. Why? Because employees working under macro managers don't want to ruin their "dream" work environment, a boss who's always absent, never checks their progress, and doesn't care about reports.

However, this doesn’t mean that macromanagement can be overused in every situation. In fact, macro managers can sometimes be less successful in delivering business results compared to micromanagers, for several reasons:

Lack of support when needed

A macro manager may have a great vision but expects employees to perfectly execute a project with just a brief email. The result of this lack of direction is often a gap between the manager's expectations and the employee's deliverables, leading to wasted time, effort, and resources to fix mistakes.

Macro managers are also frequently criticized for not providing timely support or feedback when unexpected changes arise during project execution. This becomes a significant obstacle, delaying progress or even causing the project to veer off course.

Too loose supervision

Macromanagement creates a comfortable work environment due to the lack of close supervision. However, this approach doesn't suit everyone, and can easily lead to poor behavior, such as employees coming to the office only to spend the day at cafes, playing on computers, arriving late, leaving early, chatting on the phone, gossiping in the office, or even flirting.

Managers tend to avoid discussing or addressing these behaviors, either because they don’t care or they directly blame employees, when in fact, the root cause is often the absence of proper management at the workplace.

Lack of connection between leadership and employees

While stepping back and allowing employees to work together might help build teamwork, it can also result in a disconnect between managers and their teams. Employees may feel abandoned and unsupported when needed, but still be held accountable for poor performance. This gradually creates tension in how work is managed. Once the connection between a macro-manager and their employees is lost, the manager loses control, not only over the work but also over the employees’ morale.

This is the core reason behind the revenue decline in many restaurants, as discovered by the TV show Restaurant Impossible hosted by chef Robert Irvine. Employees want to leave the company, and managers are inclined to fire them.

Shifting responsibility

Macro managers often rely heavily on employees to complete tasks, but without providing clear direction or support, things can easily go off track. Naturally, the one left to bear the responsibility for any issues is the employee who directly handled the task.

Some managers adopt a macromanagement style out of fear, they completely delegate projects to others and believe that they’re not accountable for the failures. However, the reality is that as a leader, both success and failure ultimately fall on your shoulders. A leader who distances themselves too much from the process often fails to effectively manage their role.

7 tips to be a good macro-manager

If not managed carefully, macromanagement quickly becomes a negative employee experience. The following nine tips will help you find the right balance in applying this management style:

Invest in recruitment and training

Not everyone is capable of handling unexpected situations without a manager present, which is why it's essential to invest in both recruitment and training. A good team is not only one that can function in a macro-managed environment, they need to be capable of working without micromanagement or hand-holding.

Make sure you are hiring people with the necessary skills to fulfill roles that help your company grow and ensure they are loyal and self-driven before stepping back and giving them room to take the lead.

Set clear expectations

After assigning a project, ask the person in charge to describe the task and its core requirements from their perspective. This ensures that their understanding aligns with your initial expectations and goals. Additionally, this allows you to assess their strengths, unique skills, and weaknesses so you can offer timely support to help the project succeed.

Establish clear checkpoints: weekly or biweekly

Break down the goals and plans into smaller, manageable steps, and set flexible checkpoints to easily track the project’s progress. This allows you to ensure everything is on the right track and to make adjustments if issues arise.

Once you’ve established a timeline, ensure you stay on top of it. If you ask someone to complete a task by a certain date, make sure they deliver it on time.

Ask open-ended questions

Pose open-ended questions related to the project to help them focus on key issues and be more mindful during execution. Some examples include:

Which part of this project is most important/engaging?
What aspects require further research or learning?
How will the team understand the importance of this task?
By the time we meet next week, what parts do you expect to have completed?
What obstacles can we anticipate?

Recognize and reward progress

Always provide feedback on performance and offer appropriate financial rewards to boost motivation and encourage accountability. Simple phrases like “thank you” or “great job” can make a huge difference and lead to further progress.

Clearly define resources and project scope

As an experienced manager, before handing over a project, make sure to provide all necessary information and key guidelines. This will help your team avoid unnecessary mistakes and save time.

Additionally, even the clearest goals can't be achieved without sufficient resources. Have open discussions with your team about what they need to deliver the best results.

Build a macro-leadership team

As mentioned earlier, the smartest investment is in people. Part of your role is to develop a management team capable of leading their employees. The best way to grow and sustainably expand your organization is by building a strong leadership team that can, in turn, grow their teams, just like you do.

Trust is the key to being a great manager

Managers understand that true empowerment comes from within and that people accomplish more when they take initiative. Employees contribute because they are trusted, not simply to complete tasks or follow processes.

Ultimately, trusting whom you delegate is essential for successful business growth. Hiring the right employees is only half the battle; managing them effectively is the other. This requires adapting your management style to support and meet your employees’ needs.