Page "Micromanagement" Paragraph 8

Micromanagement can be distinguished from the mere tendency of a manager to perform duties assigned to a subordinate.

When a manager can perform a worker's job more efficiently than the worker can, the result is merely suboptimal management: Although the company suffers lost opportunities because the manager would be still better at doing her or his own job ( see comparative advantage ), the worker's job is still being done well.

In micromanagement, the manager not only tells a subordinate what to do but dictates that the job be done a certain way regardless of whether that way is the most effective or efficient one.