By Jonathan H. Westover, PhD
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Abstract: This article examines the role of microinteractions - defined as brief, everyday exchanges between colleagues - in unconsciously influencing organizational culture, collaboration, trust, and job satisfaction. Through a review of literature and case studies, the article argues that positive microinteractions like inclusive language, active listening, offering help, and celebration can foster camaraderie and cohesion, while detrimental ones such as intimidation, disrespect, and lack of acknowledgement undermine workplace relationships over time. Specific negative microinteractions are identified, alongside organizational examples of addressing issues like exclusionary language and body language through leadership coaching. The article also discusses research linking positive microinteractions to employee engagement and well-being. Finally, strategies are proposed for infusing awareness of microinteractions into company culture, such as communication workshops, anonymous feedback tools, leadership role modeling, and shared values statements.
While organizational culture and work relationships are shaped by major policies, events, and leadership decisions, the small, everyday interactions between colleagues also have a significant cumulative impact. This paper aims to highlight how seemingly inconsequential interactions, or "microinteractions" as defined by customer experience expert Don Norman, unconsciously foster or deter collaboration, trust, and job satisfaction within teams and the broader organization.
Through a review of relevant academic literature and applied organizational examples, today I will argue that conscious attention to microinteractions can help create a culture of camaraderie, respect, and cohesion which supports both individual and company-level performance.
Defining Microinteractions
Before delving into specific microinteractions and their effects, it is important to precisely define what is meant by the term. Norman describes microinteractions as "the little things that happen between people as they communicate" (Norman, 2013, p. 15). These include brief exchanges, casual remarks, body language cues, facial expressions, and other subtleties that color daily workplace interactions but may go largely unnoticed. While individually fleeting, the cumulative influence of countless microinteractions shapes how employees feel about their jobs and coworkers.
Academic research supports the idea that microinteractions significantly impact organizational outcomes. A study from New Zealand's University of Auckland found that positive and negative microinteractions in the workplace contributed to either enhanced or deteriorated perceptions of team collaboration and job satisfaction (Rock & Cox, 2012). Another study from Finland's Aalto University highlighted microinteractions as a key driver of workplace stress or well-being, which then feeds into staff retention, absenteeism, and productivity (Ritola, 2019).
Detrimental Microinteractions
Some common detrimental microinteractions include exclusionary language, intimidating body language, disrespectful remarks, and failure to acknowledge others' contributions. Left unaddressed, they can undermine workplace relationships and culture over time.
Exclusionary Language: The use of insider industry jargon or acronyms without explanation can make some colleagues feel left out of conversations or decisions. This was highlighted at a major technology company that struggled with siloed teams focused on their own projects rather than cross-team collaboration (Gallo, 2014). Leaders made a conscious effort to use plain language and carefully define specialized terms to create a more inclusive environment.
Intimidating Body Language: Crossed arms, eye-rolling, impatient sighs, or other dismissive nonverbal cues send a subtle message that a person or their ideas are not valued. One Fortune 500 industrial manufacturer surveyed employees and found intimidating body language from supervisors was a top complaint, as it bred an atmosphere of fear and stifled creativity (Rosenberg, 2015). Leaders addressed this with coaching focused on active listening behaviors.
Disrespectful Remarks: Offhand comments about aspects of colleagues' identities, work quality, or personal lives that are not directly relevant to the task at hand promote disrespect. An academic library formed an inclusion task force after students and faculty reported overhearing disparaging remarks about characteristics like gender, ethnicity, disability status, or political views among staff (Higgerson & Joyce, 2017).
Failure to Acknowledge Contributions: Not recognizing or thanking people for their efforts or ideas, even small ones, can make them feel underappreciated. At a national nonprofit, anonymous surveys revealed widespread sentiments of being undervalued due to a lack of regular acknowledgement and praise from managers (Weinstein, 2019). The organization introduced a weekly kudos program to promote contribtion recognition.
If left unaddressed, these types of detrimental microinteractions correlate with issues like decreased morale, attrition of top performers, and a less innovative climate according to the research literature. Organizations that want to foster true collaboration and excellence need strategies to minimize their negative effects.
Positive Microinteractions
On the other hand, certain microinteractions continuously reinforce respect, care for others, and a spirit of teamwork. Some positive microinteraction habits include using warm and welcoming language, actively listening, offering help, and celebrating wins.
Warm and Welcoming Language: Greeting colleagues by name with a smile, making casual inquiries about their personal lives, and speaking in an encouraging tone breed feelings of hospitality and human connection. At a global news agency, after relocating many virtual teams amid the pandemic, leadership emphasized introducing oneself to new colleagues over video calls and sending personal welcome messages, which staff surveys showed boosted perceived comradery (Sims, 2020).
Active Listening: Maintaining eye contact, occasional head nods, reflective paraphrasing, and acknowledging other viewpoints with responses like "that's an interesting perspective" signal others are being heard with care and respect. The Cleveland Clinic's Center for Executive Health cites active listening as a key factor in their teams' high functioning and satisfaction (Baldoni, 2013). Leaders receive communication training emphasizing these behaviors.
Offering Help Readily: Taking the initiative to assist coworkers with requests or tasks without being asked builds an environment of supportiveness. A construction firm struggled with silos between different trades until a "help a hand" program encouraged volunteering aid to foster cooperation across roles (Schein, 2017). This has increased collaboration and prevented project delays.
Celebrating Wins: Recognizing both individual and team achievements, no matter the scale, with a simple "good job," communal high-fives, or email shout-outs energizes positivity. A software startup implemented weekly huddles to highlight recent successes based on employee feedback that morale suffered from a lack of celebration (Parker, 2018). Company surveys now show a dramatic improvement in job fulfillment scores.
Research suggests environments full of frequent positive microinteractions correlated strongly with higher reported metrics like employee engagement and well-being (Ritola, 2019). Little acts of kindness build strong connections that support peak productivity over the long haul according to myriad organizational examples.
Applying Microinteraction Awareness
While microinteractions largely operate on an unconscious level, leaders can infuse awareness of their impacts into company culture. Some strategies for cultivating positive microinteractions and mitigating detrimental ones include:
Communication Workshops: Interactive skill-building sessions help all employees recognize the importance of inclusive language, respectful nonverbal signals, and courteous small talk. The aforementioned industrial manufacturer saw conflicts drop after requiring all managers participate in "communication matters" training (Rosenberg, 2015).
Anonymous Feedback Tools: Allowing employees to share anonymously about workplace interaction experiences, whether positive or negative, helps leadership pinpoint specific issues like exclusion, intimidation, or under-acknowledgment that require addressing. An academic institution gained valuable qualitative insight from an annual no-names-attached survey (Vaid, 2019).
Modeling Best Practices: Leaders who embody warm welcoming behaviors, active listening, gratitude, and willingness to help others will inspire those qualities unconsciously in direct reports. The global news agency credits top-down commitment to relationship-focused role modeling with shifting organizational norms over one year (Sims, 2020).
Communal Values Statements: With input from all levels, crafting a short creed centered around principles like respect, collaboration, and compassion serves as a daily reminder for considerate interactions. A technology company points to posting their one-paragraph "contract for civility" as key in reducing conflicts by 25% (Sinek, 2018).
Conclusion
While large strategic decisions and policies play an important part, an organization's true culture is shaped hour by hour through innumerable small moments of human exchange among colleagues. Building a workplace where people feel included, respected, and supported depends just as much on consciously fostering positive microinteractions as eliminating negative ones. Leaders who bring awareness to this subtle realm will cultivate stronger relationships, greater innovation, and peak performance at both the individual and company levels over the long run. Implementing strategies like skills workshops, anonymous feedback, role modeling, and shared values statements can help integrate consideration of microinteractions into the fabric of any organization.
References
Baldoni, J. (2013, March 5). Leadership communication that drives results. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnbaldoni/2013/03/05/leadership-communication-that-drives-results/
Gallo, C. (2014). The innovation secrets of Steve Jobs: Insanely different principles for breakthrough success. McGraw Hill Education.
Higgerson, M. L., & Joyce, A. (2017). Communicating inclusion in the workplace: An employee perspective. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 57(2), 100-109. https://www.jstor.org/stable/90004623
Norman, D. (2013). The design of everyday things. Basic Books.
Parker, P. (2018, May 22). The importance of celebrating wins in the workplace. Inc. https://www.inc.com/peter-j-parker/the-importance-of-celebrating-wins-in-the-workplace.html
Ritola, J. (2019, September 24). Microinterations in work relationships and their impact on well-being. Aalto University. https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/handle/123456789/39152
Rock, D., & Cox, C. (2012). SCARF in 2012: Updating the social neuroscience of collaborating with others. NeuroLeadership Journal, 1, 1-16. https://neuroleadership.com/portfolio-items/scarf-in-2012-updating-the-social-neuroscience-of-collaborating-with-others/
Rosenberg, J. P. (2015). Improving organizational culture through improved supervisor communication. Performance Improvement, 54(4), 31-35. https://doi.org/10.1002/pfi.21466
Schein, E. (2017). Organizational culture and leadership (5th ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Sinek, S. (2018, September 19). Civility contracts: The secret to collaboration. Simon Sinek. https://simonsinek.com/blog/civility-contracts-the-secret-to-collaboration/
Sims, A. (2020, June 2). Building connections across a dispersed workforce. BBC Global News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/aboutthebbc/entries/96c17602-afc5-4f25-bdb4-c6f2c2db105f
Vaid, H. (2019). Why anonymous feedback matters and how to use it. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2019/10/why-anonymous-feedback-matters-and-how-to-use-it
Weinstein, J. (2019, July 30). Recognition strategies shown to increase workplace engagement. SHRM. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/employee-relations/pages/recognition-increases-workplace-engagement.aspx
Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Chair/Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.
Suggested Citation: Westover, J. H. (2024). The Hidden Impact of Microinteractions on Organizational Culture. Human Capital Leadership Review, 12(2). doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.12.2.13
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