Tina Miedtank, assistant professor of Strategic Human Resource Management, together with our former colleague Marleen Wierenga and others, challenges the traditional view of impact within management sciences.
Whereas impact is often equated with publications or policy changes at the macro level, Miedtank and her co-authors argue for the recognition of micro-impact, i.e. influence on individuals and small groups, such as research participants. Based on their own experiences, they demonstrate how interviews during data collection offer unexpected opportunities for meaningful interaction, such as valuable conversations and self-reflection. The authors introduce “micro-practices”: planned efforts to create micro-impact early in the project, rather than afterwards. In this way, research can be socially relevant from the outset and contribute to greater satisfaction in academic work, especially for early-career researchers.