Micro-behaviours are those tiny gestures, that almost imperceptible tone of voice, the glance or body language, those ‘throw-away’ comments – that subtly affirm or reject. They create an insider/outsider dynamic in the workplace and make people feel included or excluded.

It might be greeting one person more warmly than another, or finding more or less time for them, interrupting a colleague in mid-sentence, taking credit for someone else’s work, rolling eyes in frustration, or repeatedly cancelling meetings. These are just a few examples of how what we do or don’t do can cumulatively build-up to create an environment that feels friendly to some but pervasively hostile to others.

These behaviours are often driven by our unconscious biases, and the challenge is to ensure that individual employees (particularly managers) are able to recognise how and when they can manifest in the workplace. We need to learn how to alter our behaviour to consciously include, with the understanding that if we don’t do this the result may be that we unconsciously exclude our colleagues.

The solution

Marshall’s is proud to announce our new course ‘Insiders and Outsiders -How our Micro-Behaviours Affect the Workplace’ – watch the trailer here.

Utilising the branching videos, this module will take learners on a journey to examine the more subtle behaviours that generate micro-inequities and define insider/outsider dynamics, and how this can have serious consequences for wellbeing, team working, creativity and productivity.

Our new course guides learners through the foundational aspects of unconscious bias, and it is an excellent ‘next step’ to turn awareness into action. They will then explore the concepts and impacts of positive and negative micro-behaviours using the medium of interactive storytelling, where every decision they make will have a unique outcome on the branching storylines.

This immersive training follows the story of a team of professionals working together to build a new website. As the characters clash and deadlines loom, learners are asked to select from a range of options how the team leader should respond to correct team members’ (and her own) interactions and biases. The success or failure of the project will depend upon whether the learner effectively integrated these lessons and chooses the correct responses.

Learners will be able to actively participate, putting their knowledge of unconscious bias and micro-behaviours to the test in a challenging simulation that is both thought-provoking and convincing. This module will enable learners to:

• Realise bias is instinctive and immediate, and can play out through micro-behaviours
• Appreciate that micro-behaviours can have a cumulative impact
• Acknowledge that we behave differently towards different people
• Describe what micro-behaviours are and how they manifest, both positively and negatively through our behaviour and decision making
• Demonstrate the impact of micro-behaviours on individuals, teams and processes
• Apply strategies for mitigating the influence of bias and micro-inequities.

Want to learn more? Watch the trailer here