(FSB Magazine) -- Micromanaging will do more than annoy employees; it will slow your growth. A recent study by Cornell University, sponsored by the Gevity Institute, a human resources outsourcing firm in Bradenton, Fla., found that small businesses that granted workers more autonomy grew at more than four times the rate of those that relied on tight top-down controls.

That's not all.

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The study, which surveyed 323 small businesses, reported that superior HR and management decisions could mean the difference between an explosive business and a sluggish one. Companies that met all its criteria had an average revenue growth rate 22 times higher than those that didn't meet any, a profit rate 47 times higher - and one-sixteenth the turnover rate.

Here, a look at how feel-good office tactics can result in a good-looking balance sheet.

To see the full study, go to gevityinstitute.com.

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