Micromanagement in the careers of prominent leaders

Abstract

Micromanagement is a commonly evoked concept, yet one which has received very little academic attention. Existing studies tend to view at it as a negative phenomenon, locating the causes of micromanagement in the psychological issues of the micromanager. Regardless, many prominent and successful managers have had reputations as micromanagers, and a small but growing literature on the potential advantages of micromanagement has also emerged.

The objective of this thesis is to explore the contradiction between bad reputation of micromanagement on the one hand, and its association with prominent managers on the other hand. This thesis is an extensive, multiple case-study on the managerial careers of three famous micromanagers: Walt Disney, Steve Jobs, and Jeff Bezos, conducted through a content analysis on multiple book sources on the cases' careers. Through this investigation I hope to understand better the role played by micromanagement in their managerial careers, and whether they used micromanagement in the ways suggested by the literature on the potential advantages of micromanagement.

My findings suggest that the cases used micromanagement to solidify their control over their companies, impart their vision on them, and as a managerial tool in product development. Unlike what was suggested in prior literature on the potential uses for micromanagement, the cases primarily used micromanagement in active ways. They also micromanaged compulsively, as suggested by academic studies on the harmful consequences of micromanagement.