Micromessages:Microinequity And Microaffirmative
A micromessage is a small, sometimes unspoken and unconscious message that is sent and received many times a day. It can be positive or negative, for example, an understanding wink across the table, a glance at a watch while a person is speaking, an interested lean forward when a colleague is talking. There are from 10 to 40 micromessages in a 10-minute time period. These messages accumulate and have a big input in the workplace where they can affect employee productivity, morale, absenteeism, and turn over.
Corporate America has become interested in micromessages in just the past few years because these messages affect the effort to create diverse and inclusive workplaces. Steven Young, president of “Insight Education Systems” and a Vice President with Morgan Chase has been a major force in training people to monitor themselves for microinequities and to increase their micro-affirmative messages. Steven Young’s training is called “The Power of Small.”
Young says that microinequities are negative, micro messages that erode organizations. They are a cumulative pattern of subtle, semi-conscious devaluing messages that discourage and impair performance. Micro affirmations can increase self-esteem and productivity. They might include public recognition, referring positively to the work of a person, or commending a person on the spot.
People who belong to groups that have been historically devalued and excluded may have a strong reaction to a micromessage and this can contribute to a feeling that an organization is racist or sexist even though it has routed out all the more obvious forms of these beliefs.
Although organizations have only recently begun to provide training for their employees about micromessages, the term “micro-inequity’ was coined in 1973 by Mary Rowe of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and it is her scholarship that underpins the training. She says, “Micro-inequities occur whenever people are perceived to be different. That can be Caucasians in a Japanese owned company, African Americans in a white firm, women in a traditionally male environment, Jews and Muslims in a traditionally Protestant environment. These mechanisms of prejudice against persons of difference are usually small in nature, but not trivial in effect. They are especially powerful taken together.”
Persons taking micromessage training are also taught how to deal with micro-inequity messages. They are advised to deal with the message right away by first of all giving the message sender the benefit of doubt. Then emphasize that you want to be part of the team. Ask a not threatening question like “Did someone forget to put my name on the list?” Describe the negative message calmly and factually and then explain how it affected you.
People who have taken micro-message training say that it changes their behavior immediately. They become aware of their negative messages and they stop sending them and concentrate on sending affirmative messages.
