I'm working for a "flat" tech company of roughly 50 people. I work with several project managers, but there's no one whose responsibility is to manage me. Despite being billed as flat and having no org chart, there is absolutely an unofficial org chart and hierarchical distribution of responsibility and information.
Currently, I'm mostly assigned specific tasks by project managers. However, I feel like there's a desire for me to "take more initiative" in projects. I would love to do so, but I don't know where to start. There's no standard processes to follow on projects, no consistent way of sharing information, delegating responsibilities, or organizing communication with clients. Each project manager has their own approach, and it seems to be expected that I intuit their approach. When things go right or wrong, there's virtually no feedback given. I have an annual review, but it's conducted by someone I don't actively work with.
Also, I'm always the only person on the given project team that isn't the project manager, and I'm not able to observe the workings of other projects to any meaningful extent, so I can't look to peers as examples.
Often when I try to ask clarifying questions about my role or seek confirmation on communications before sending them to the client, the reaction seems to be that I'm looking for micromanaging. But I genuinely feel that I need additional information in order to proceed competently. I also worry (admittedly probably much more than is necessary) about stepping on the toes of those with more seniority than me.
I'd love to magically understand exactly what's expected of me, but realistically, I like to either have more information so that I feel equipt to "manage myself", or I'd settle for the project managers I work with to be willing to "micromanage" me.
My main question is, what is the best way to communicate these concerns (to the closest approximation of a manager I have)? However, I wouldn't object to direct advice about how to handle the situation.
Some information on me: working for the company ~4 years, millennial, no neurodivergent diagnoses (but it's not rare for me to struggle with "obvious" things in a manner similar to those with ASD), generally not assertive enough for the culture I'm in, one of the few females in a very male company with all-male "upper management"