McCann-Microaggressions in the Workplace: If They're so Small, What's the Big Problem?

Αρετή (Arete) Journal of Excellence in Global Leadership | Vol. 1 No. 1 | 2022

other words, diverse companies that provide psychologically safe spaces of belonging for all employees enjoy greater cost savings and increased profits, both of which positively affect the bottom line.

Figure 4 The Most Diverse Companies are More Likely to Financially Outperform Their Peers

Source: Author’s Illustration , Modified from “ Diversity Wins: How Inclusion Matters ” . McKinsey & Company Report (Dixon-Fyle et. al., 2020)

Discussion The term “microaggression” can be misleading insofar as the prefix, “micro” seems to suggest an aggression that is tiny and harmless when nothing could be further from the truth. A microaggression is named as such because it occurs in interpersonal interactions. A macroaggression, by contrast, denotes aggressions that are more widespread and systemic such as racial profiling by law enforcement or voter repression. But as described here, whether intended or not, microaggressions have a tremendous negative impact on organizations and the people who are employed by those organizations. The most effective method for fostering understanding and inclusive behavior would be a comprehensive training and development program that fosters a sense of empowerment and empathy for all participants. The purpose is to motivate everyone to want to behave in a manner that creates an environment of inclusivity and belonging for all and leads to a true meritocracy. However, in the absence of a formal training program, there are steps that everyone can take to begin to break down the implicit bias and microaggression barriers that exist and create a positive organizational culture. One mechanism that everyone can implement immediately is a mnemonic called “The P.A.L.M. technique” (see Figure 5).

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