The cost of control: A case study on micromanagement and organizational dysfunction

This study investigates the lived experiences of two employees who were subjected to sustained micromanagement within a small to medium-sized service organization, examined over a period of fourteen months. Guided by an interpretivist framework, data were collected through interviews, internal documents, email correspondence, and field observations to construct a textured account of how managerial control unfolded and evolved. The findings reveal a progressive restriction of decision-making autonomy, the erosion of trust, and the transformation of communication into a primary tool of control. Participants reported diminished confidence, demotivation, and disengagement. Observations revealed that micromanagement had become normalized within departmental culture, reinforced by routine practices, favoritism, and the absence of higher-level managerial accountability. The study also highlights the role of toxic leadership in perpetuating these dynamics, demonstrating how individual managerial behavior, when left unchecked, can escalate into entrenched organizational dysfunction. These insights align with theoretical perspectives on self-determination, organizational justice, and toxic leadership, while extending current literature by showing how micromanagement reshapes not only work processes but also employee identity, morale, and interpersonal relationships. Taken together, the study argues that micromanagement must be understood not merely as an individual leadership flaw but as an organizational pathology with wide-reaching consequences for both human well-being and institutional effectiveness.