The power of micro-behaviours: how they can transform your business performance

Applying this 'impact of micro' to the workplace, this approach means breaking down long-term goals or strategic priorities into manageable bite-sized chunks. By addressing one behaviour change at a time, individuals can concentrate their efforts, gradually improving performance. This approach sets the stage for numerous ‘little wins’ that create positive momentum, leading to significant and sustainable growth over time. By recognising and celebrating these small wins, individuals are motivated to continue their growth and career progression, and your business benefits from increased overall performance.

What are micro-behaviours? 

Micro-behaviours are small actions that you can SEE someone DO or HEAR them SAY. They are definable, observable, repeatable, and 100% within the control of the individual. Micro-behaviours are easy for people to understand and do, easy for leaders to coach. Most importantly, when selected in line with organisational goals or strategy, they’re predictive of performance outcomes. They enable individuals to work on incremental improvements and allow for individual expression and adaption to diverse roles and scenarios. They’re not a rigid set of rules or a one-size-fits-all approach.

The competitive advantage of a micro-behavioural approach

When addressing the World Economic Forum in 2018, Justin Trudeau said, ‘the pace of change has never been this fast, yet it will never be this slow again’. For organisations to meet the challenge of constant change, they must effectively bridge the gap between strategy and implementation. This approach ensures that every employee understands their role and how their specific behaviours contribute to success.

By embracing a micro-behavioural approach, organisations can leverage the following benefits:

• Clarity: provide clear guidelines and expectations for desired actions, ensuring everyone understands what is required to achieve success.

• Measurability: allow for objective assessment and tracking of progress.

• Actionable steps: break down complex goals into manageable actions, making behaviour change more attainable and less overwhelming.

• Personalised development: enable personalised development plans, tailored to diverse needs and areas of improvement.

• Continuous learning: foster a culture of continuous learning, encouraging individuals to continuously improve and develop new skills.

• Increased engagement: promote employee engagement, as individuals can see their progress and contribute to organisational success.

• Performance improvement: drive incremental performance improvements, leading to increased motivation, productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness.

• Enhanced coaching conversations: provide your leaders with a framework for effective coaching conversations, as they can provide targeted feedback and guidance based on observable actions.

• Goal alignment: align individual goals with organisational objectives, ensuring actions are purposeful and contribute to the overall strategic direction.

• Sustainable change: support lasting behaviour change, as small, consistent actions become ingrained habits that drive ongoing improvement.

What could go wrong?

Critics may argue that focusing on a micro-behaviour may mean individuals disregard the context in which they operate, potentially hindering creativity and adaptability. But micro-behaviours are not meant to replace critical thinking, rather they serve as building blocks for behaviour change. Individuals are encouraged to apply micro-behaviours within the context of their roles, adapting them as necessary and exercising judgment when faced with unique situations.

There's the risk of choosing the 'right' micro-behaviour. Both positive and negative micro-behaviours exist and picking a negative micro behaviour with negative effect is possible. But if you have a robust system of analysis and evaluation, continuously assessing what's working and what's not, this is easily rectified. It's just as important to identify negative micro behaviours and weed them out as it is to create new, positive habits.

There's also the concern that excessive focus on an individual level may neglect systemic issues or create a negative culture. But in reality, the opposite is true: micro-behaviours complement broader organisational efforts and don't exist in isolation. The collective adherence to this approach can positively influence the broader system, contributing to a more inclusive culture and systemic improvements. As Aristotle said (as translated by Will Durant), ‘We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit’. Culture is built on our everyday actions and reactions.

The risks of ignoring this approach

Failure to embrace a micro-behavioural approach can create its own risks, including:

Lack of focus: without a clear roadmap, employees may lack direction and focus, leading to a misalignment between individual actions and organisational goals.

Inconsistent performance: in the absence of specific guidelines, performance may vary, making it challenging to achieve consistent and reliable outcomes.

Limited accountability: a lack of clarity on what to do differently can result in a lack of individual accountability, as employees may struggle to understand how their actions contribute to organisational success.

Missed opportunities for improvement: by not breaking down goals into actionable micro-behaviours, you'll miss the chance to capitalise on the power of incremental gains and continuous improvement.

See more examples of micro-behaviours in action.

Want to see what a micro-behaviour looks like?

So how do you identify micro-behaviours? Here are some examples:

‘Active listening’ as a concept is hard to see or hear, but it breaks down easily into several key micro-behaviours:

• Maintaining eye contact

• Nodding or giving verbal nods

• Paraphrasing or asking clarifying questions

• Summarising understanding

‘Collaboration’ is similarly difficult to address, but ‘encouraging and seeking input from team members during meetings’ is something easy to identify and concrete that would contribute to better collaboration. For example: ‘What are your thoughts on this idea? I'd really like to hear your perspective.’

Time management is an evergreen development opportunity for most people. Some ideas for repeatable micro-behaviours that would positively address this could be:

• Creating a priority list for the week ahead in a timely manner

• Using your calendar to block out focus time through the week

• Respond to emails at set times throughout the day, rather than as they come in

Implementing a Micro-Behavioural Approach

Here are some ideas on how to implement a micro-behavioural approach in your organisation or team:

Define organisational goals and communicate the approach

Identify the broader strategic objectives and break them down into specific behaviours that contribute to those goals. Think about the different roles in your business: how will you break this down for each area? What would you expect to see if everyone did one small thing differently as an aggregated result? Paint the picture: how does this connect to the bigger picture? What’s in it for them?

Empower your people

Give your people true empowerment – in other words, safety to fail – so they can practice the new micro-behaviours without fear of repercussions if they don’t get it right straight away. Can they do this in the flow of work? Can you give them a safe space to role play or experiment with the micro-behaviours before they take them into the real world?

Prioritise coaching

Hand-in-hand with empowerment comes a culture of support. Foster a culture of continuous feedback and coaching, empowering leaders to provide specific feedback and support individuals in adopting and improving their micro-behaviours. Are your leaders equipped to coach behaviourally? Are they calibrated as to what ‘great’ looks like in terms of how the micro-behaviours should look and sound like?

Recognise and celebrate progress

Acknowledge and celebrate achievements related to the implementation of micro-behaviours, creating a positive environment that reinforces their importance and motivates individuals to continue their growth. Reward effort, not just results.

Regular evaluation and adjustments

Continuously evaluate the effectiveness of the micro-behaviours, seeking feedback from employees, analysing data and adjusting as needed to ensure alignment with evolving organisational needs. Remember: change the plan, not the goal.

Embracing a micro-behavioural approach can be a game-changer for those seeking to drive performance and achieve their strategic objectives. By breaking down complex goals into manageable, observable actions, your business can leverage the power of incremental improvement and foster a culture of continuous learning and growth. It's time to embrace the power of micro-behaviours and witness the substantial impact they can have on your organisational culture and performance.

See more examples of micro-behaviours in action.

Show me the money data

Having assessed over 70,000 customer-facing and leadership conversations through our Behavioural Analytics team, GRIST has unmatched data-driven insight into the correlation between specific sales and leadership micro-behaviours and successful sales, customer and coaching outcomes.  

Read the case study: The missing piece of the puzzle