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What are Micro-Inequities and Micro-Affirmations? How do they affect employees and Manager-Employee relationships? Micro-Inequities According to Mary Rowe, Micro-inequities are “apparently small events which are often ephemeral and hard-to-prove, events which are covert, often unintentional, frequently unrecognised by the perpetrator, which occur wherever people are perceived to be ‘different. ” Bernice Sandler, Senior Scholar at the Women’s Research and Education Institute in Washington, DC, defined Micro inequities as the ways in which individuals are “singled out, overlooked, ignored or otherwise discounted based on an unchangeable characteristic such as race or gender. ” “Micro-inequities”, as defined by Stephen Young, Senior Vice President of Corporate Diversity for JPMorgan, “are subtle messages, sometimes subconscious, which devalue, discourage and ultimately impair performance in the workplace. As two of the three definitions suggest, micro-inequity are often unintentional or done in the subconscious. While this may be the case in most cases, it is not wise to believe that all micro-inequities which are carried out are unintentional or subconscious. Managers or Supervisors, who may hold grudges against employees for some reason or the other, may carry out overly blatant acts of micro-inequity fully aware of the degree of unfairness meted out to that individual.
Micro-inequity can take forms such as the way in which an individual or group is treated, the gestures used when referring to that individual or group and the tone in which they are spoken to. Other forms of micro-inequity may range from not being invited to a particular meeting, not being given the requisite attention when making a speech or presentation, not being introduced properly to a new employee, who is being to others in the office to unfair annual performance appraisals with little or no justification.
While these tangible forms of micro-inequity may have damaging effects on an employee, it is the subliminal messages or gestures like speaking to a co-worker or subordinate in a condescending manner or making disparaging or racist remarks that yield rippling effects. 2 Micro-Affirmations On the opposite side of the coin, there is the phenomenon of Micro-affirmations which Mary Rowe defined as “apparently small acts, which are often ephemeral and hard-to-see, events which are public and private, often unconscious but very effective, which occur wherever people wish to help others succeed. “
In this phenomenon, workers performance, achievements and accomplishments are noticed, acknowledged, commended and valued. These small acts of micro-affirmations open the door to opportunities and form the basis for successful mentorship. The benefits which micro-affirmations offer are not reaped overnight and therefore managers or supervisors need to exercise patience and consistency when carry out these acts. There are three ways in which micro-affirmations help counteract micro-inequities. First, if one person affirms another, then, by definition, they are blocking any possibility of creating inequities.
Therefore, micro-affirmations block unwanted, negative behaviour. The two cannot happen simultaneously. Secondly, the intense nature of affirmation and appreciating an individual has the potential to reverse the effects created by micro-inequities. Thirdly, micro-affirmations have a built-in role model effect. When employees witness small appreciative acts, this allows them to see the effects and may invite them to replicate these acts, influencing their behaviour and possibly their environment.
Micro-affirmations are highly effective in the workplace can range from telling employees ‘well done’ when they perform exceptionally, placing ‘you are appreciated’ signs in areas where they are easily noticed, to warding/rewarding outstanding performances. For micro-affirmations to have the results intended, they must be must be sincere. 3 The Effects of Micro- Inequities on Employees In the workplace, Micro-inequities may cause employees to: * Lose self-esteem and feel worthless in the organistion. * Perform less efficiently and effectively. Stay away from work on a regular basis (absenteeism). * Lose initiative and perform reactively instead of proactively. * Become unproductive * Feel alienated and withdrawn. Severe forms of micro-inequity may lead to employees embracing feelings of hatred and depending on the degree to which they feel alienated, they may become suicidal. The Effects of Micro-Affirmations on Employees While Micro-inequities have negative effects on employees, the opposite effects are experienced by employees who feel affirmed in an organization.
Micro-affirmations may lead to: * Improved self-esteem and a sense of value in the organistion. * Improved performance. * Less absenteeism * Proactive and reliable employees * Productiveness * A sense of belonging in the organisation. 4 The Effects of Micro-Inequities on Manager-Employee Relationships Micro-inequities have negative effects on the manager-employee relationship. These relationships are characterised by the following: * There is a severe lack of communication between the two * There is usually some degree of contempt on the part of the employee. * The relationship is oftentimes strained. There is not much support from the employee when pulling off major projects * Employees may decline from participating in social activities which the managers are apart of. * Employees may have very little or no respect for managers. * Managers may have a difficult time motivating employees. The Effects of Micro-Affirmations on Manager-Employee Relationships Conversely, Micro-affirmations will have positive effects on the manager-employee relationship: * Communication is free-flowing * Employees feel at ease with managers and are free to speak on issues affecting them. The relationship is an easygoing one. * Employees usually lend support when major projects need to be done. * Employees readily participate in social activities. * Employees tend to respect, even if the do not always agree with, their manager * There is no difficulty in motivating employees since micro-affirmation in itself serve as a tool of motivation. * Employees look up to managers as mentors and strive for excellence in the organisation. 5 Introduction Mary Rowe, PhD of MIT, (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) coined the terms micro-inequities and micro-affirmations in 1973.
She wrote papers virtually every year stressing the importance of micro-behavior. Some of these papers were published in whole or in part in 1974. She spent some time at MIT where she assessed the way in which workers related with each other and what hindered progress in the workplace. After reading this paper, you would have learnt what Micro-inequities and Micro-affirmations are, the effects they have on employees and how they impact the relationships between managers and employees. 1 Conclusion Today, Micro-inequities are dominant in many workplaces.
Employers and managers are tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that this practice does not prevail in their organisation. While it may be impossible to keep this out of the organisation, they should take corrective actions when they observe that micro-inequities are being carried out and they should try to embrace the idea of micro-affirmation in a fair and indiscriminate manner. 6 NAME:JANEILA ALLEN REG#:11/0835/1505 COURSE:PIR – 110 DATE:2011. 11. 22 BIBLIOGRAPHY Micro-Affirmations ; Micro-Inequities ©2008 Mary Rowe, MIT Sandler, Bernice. The Campus Climate Revisited: Chilly for Women Faculty, Administrators and Graduate Students. “Association of America Colleges, 1986. 7 Good day Sir, I know this is supposed to be a group assignment. However, I took it upon myself to submit this individually as the group I was supposedly apart of had some major issues and it was too late to fix myself in another group since the deadline was near. I trust you accept and mark it since I am in dire need of the marks in order to write the final exam. Have a blessed day. Best regards, Janeila Allen.
Table of Contents Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………1 What are Micro-Inequities? ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2 What are Micro-Affirmations? ………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3 The Effects of Micro-Inequities and Micro-Affirmations on the Employee…………………………. …. 4 The Effects of Micro-Inequities and Micro Affirmations on the Manager-Employee Relationship………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………5 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 6 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 7