Durch Makromanagement dem kreativen Prozess auf die Sprünge helfen

“ The most important assets of a company are not its raw materials, its logistics or its political influence. Much more valuable is the internal creative capital – the creative mindset of your employees, which provides the impetus for new products and services. Creative minds bring new technologies and industries to life to fuel economic growth. “ Richard Florida and Jim Goodnight for Harvard Business Review ( article )

Who wants to exercise a leadership position, needs strong nerves. Because who bears this responsibility, is constantly on the fine line between too much and too little control. Losing track of your team can slow productivity and, in the worst case, delay delivery times. On the other hand, too much supervision on your team can lead to overwork and disillusionment . Unfortunately today, the strongly supervising, authoritarian management style, the so-called micromanagement, predominates.

Anyone who has already experienced micromanagement will be able to tell you about the overwhelming effect. The workflow and mood at work are hampered by exaggerated control from the top, which can make some employees very dependent. For others, lack of workspace space may lead to burnout. Either way, the very creativity of the team that should actually be promoted is stifled. This wastes the most valuable assets of the company.

But what is the alternative? Try macro management.

What is macro-management?

Macromanagement refers to a leadership style that looks at the overall context rather than getting bogged down in day-to-day operations. The manager focuses his or her own energy on overarching goals and advises employees or instructs other senior executives in the company to work effectively with their teams.

Macro-management is about promoting a tool that is indispensable for the creative process: creative thinking. This is not to say that a leader is completely out of daily business – which brings with it other challenges that we will address. Rather, it means that leaders are more concerned with vision than with the details of execution.

Advantages of Macro Management

As a manager, it is not easy for us to overcome our micro-management bias. We often focus on short-term progress and success, and sometimes lose sight of the big picture. As a result, good employees may be lost or we may take the opportunity to reach their full potential. However, if you orient your management style more towards macro-management, you will benefit from the following advantages:

A team that thinks creatively – Give your team the chance to master challenges together. To promote a creative mindset within the group.
A team that identifies with its work – Give your employees the feeling that they work not only for you, but also and above all for themselves. This will help each team member identify and be more proud of their work.
A passionate team – Give your team more freedom and let your employees develop their own solutions. Thus, the result becomes more important to them and they will put their lifeblood into the work.

The way to good macro management

Macromanagement may seem strange to you at first, and you may feel like you are losing control. But do not worry, that’s not the case. You only change your focus – that does not mean that you give up your overview as a leader. At the beginning, it is always recommended to look at the ultimate goal. Ask for the „why“ and stiffen less on the „how“. After all, if you finally achieve your goal and deliver good work, then it no longer interests anyone how you got there.

Allowing your team to work their way to this ultimate goal will give your employees the chance to impress you. If you find the right solution, you have creative thinking. These employees may become the next leaders in your organization and deserve praise. Encourage them to be proud of their accomplishments and help them expand their skills for even better results.

Above all, however, you must learn to estimate when intervention is needed and when not. Do not blame your people for all the solutions, but divert their thoughts to better results.

Macromanagement in everyday work

Of course, macro-management also involves a number of risks that we do not want to conceal from you. This leadership style is about finding a middle ground where you can stay out of the day-to-day, but still have enough presence. Otherwise, your team may not feel valued enough or fear being left alone without your support and advice.

Imagine how your team will feel when you stop asking for progress every day, just once a week. The following questions can help you to prepare for the transition to macro-management:

How high is the risk? Could the overall goal be sapped if I’m not successful with macro-management?
Will my team suffer from the role shift? Are my employees too burned out or too dependent on constant leadership?
Are my current executives able to fulfill their new macro-management roles? Do I have to hire new employees for management?
What dangers and advantages does the change entail?

If you can answer these questions safely and unequivocally, a changeover will probably benefit you. At first you may be reluctant to let the reins loose. But you will see that your team can do a better job with a little more freedom. Your employees will be more dedicated and your business can become a better workplace.

The secret of really good macro management

The key success factors are the qualities each individual member of the team needs to do their job successfully. Put these success factors right at the beginning and emphasize them again and again – your team will react accordingly.

Rules and guidelines are required for the creative process, but they work best if they originate from the individual employee himself and are not specified down to the last detail. Give your team the best chance of succeeding by supporting the development of all team members, setting individual goals, and providing them with the tools they need to do their jobs.

Great results come from working together in a team. So give your staff the tools they need to make this collaboration easier, and look forward to the new ideas that come with it. If you’re in charge of running a team, discover the power of Dropbox Paper and see how you can make the most of the creative minds in your business.