During the last five years, the world has experienced great turmoil due to a global pandemic, mounting concerns for social justice, and increasingly divisive ideologies. Individuals have experienced their lives in ways they could have never imagined, and the impact will be felt for years. What is clear is that many people want and need something different in their professional lives, and organizations are struggling to understand and respond effectively and appropriately.
Interest in and conversations about belonging have increased steadily over the last few years. Let’s face it; belonging is essential. Maslow identified it as the third most important human need after physiological and safety needs. We believe it is the most crucial outcome we can help organizations achieve as it is critical to retention and the ability of individuals to bring their whole selves and talents to their work. We also believe that belonging doesn’t just happen. Building an environment where individuals can feel they belong takes focus, intentionality, and defined purpose, which is what led us to our Belonging by Design™ approach.
There are many ways organizations are talking about belonging. The term has been tagged onto the end of the familiar Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) label that now often shows up as DEIB. At Talent Dimensions, we have taken a more expansive view of belonging. Our experience has taught us that belonging is influenced by almost every aspect of organizational life. We also recognize that there are as many definitions of belonging as there are individuals, which creates the added challenge of understanding what it means to each employee.
Our work focuses on unpacking the components of organizational culture that foster a sense of belonging. It is a lot to unpack when you think about everything that influences our ability to create a connection and thrive in the workplace. Added are the challenges we face in society that undoubtedly spill over into the workplace and create complexity for leaders and organizations.
What is belonging?
At the 10,000-foot level, we define belonging as the sweet spot where inclusion and engagement intersect and reside within an environment of psychological safety. Inclusion is about having a voice in decision-making, planning, and problem-solving. Engagement is about finding meaning in one’s role, team, organization, and mission. Psychological safety, simply put, exists when employees feel free to fully express themselves without fear of retribution or penalty. When individuals feel they have a voice, can find meaning in their work, and feel safe, the magic happens.
Drivers of Belonging
We shared that belonging sits at the intersection of inclusion (I have a voice), employee engagement (I have meaning), and psychological safety (I am safe here). It then becomes essential to break these three elements down into drivers we can measure and address to have an impact. There is one driver that spans all three areas, trust. There is likely unanimous agreement that trust is the building block required to develop successful relationships. This includes relationships between people and people and organizations. Countless books, articles and other resources talk about the importance of trust and what it takes to build it. We’ll cover the topic of trust in greater detail in a future blog post.
Drivers of Employee Engagement
Employee engagement is the most measured outcome over the last 2+ decades. Leaders recognize the power of engagement when it comes to driving business success. We subscribe to the founding father of engagement, William Kahn’s, definition of engagement as an individual’s ability to harness their “full self” at work. We have identified five key drivers of employee engagement.
- Personal Well-Being – People want to know that the organization cares about them. As they experienced the pandemic and weathered its many challenges, many took a close look at what was important to them and their families. Now more than ever, personal well-being and work-life balance are critical workplace engagement factors.
- Communication Transparency – When employees at all levels know the big picture and understand the WHY behind the organization’s strategies and plans, they are prepared to apply their full capabilities to achieving those goals.
- Supportive Leadership – When formal and informal leaders at all levels demonstrate sincere interest in employees’ growth and well-being, interest in the “whole person”, the critical leader-employee relationship is strengthened.
- Meaningful Work – Passion for the work, knowing they are making a difference, finding a connection between their values and those of the organization, and recognizing a link between the work and what’s important to them enables individuals to build strong connections with the work, their colleagues and the organization.
- Growth Opportunities – Individuals need the ability to align their own growth, learning, and career aspirations with the opportunities available within the organization to envision a future inside rather than moving on or out.
Drivers of Inclusion
Inclusion is all about creating a workplace of mutual respect, trust, and commitment, so everyone will feel free to, and be encouraged to, contribute based on their unique talents, experiences, and backgrounds. The drivers of inclusion are:
- Shared Goals – Teams and employees working collaboratively toward common objectives build a sense of unity and shared purpose. Achievements are shared successes.
- Empowered Responsibility – When individuals are given the authority, ownership and accountability to actively contribute, they build capability and confidence as well as the understanding that they are safe to demonstrate their expertise.
- Curiosity Encouraged – When team members and leaders demonstrate genuine curiosity about each other’s perspectives, experiences, and ideas, it leads to greater understanding, empathy, and collaboration. When individuals are encouraged to exercise curiosity in problem analysis and solution development, innovation and performance improvements are the result.
- Proactive Appreciation of Ideas – When ideas are sought out and acknowledged, it creates an open forum for innovation and participation by all members of the team.
- Multi-level Diversity – When an individual can “see themselves” in all levels of the organization, they are better able to envision how they can have a fulfilling work experience and to know that a range of ideas, opinions, thinking styles and workstyles are welcome and appreciated.
Drivers of Psychological Safety
Psychological safety exists when individuals can openly share their thoughts, ideas, and concerns without the worry of negative reactions, experiences, or outcomes, and instead feel accepted, respected, and valued within the group. When the following exist, individuals feel safe:
- Reward for Informed Risk-Taking – When well-researched risk-taking efforts are acknowledged and rewarded, it sends a message that mistakes made in pursuit of innovation are seen as learning opportunities rather than failures. This cultivates an environment where everyone feels secure in sharing ideas, taking calculated risks, and collaborating to drive positive change.
- Constructive Feedback Exchange – Following a feedback model of Situation/Behavior/Impact (Center for Creative Leadership) ensures feedback is clear and actionable. It is important that feedback be two-way with managers and employees seeking and delivering input. Maintaining an atmosphere of two-way feedback demonstrates that everyone’s observations and opinions are valued.
- Open Respectful Communication – An atmosphere of open respectful communication where employees feel comfortable expressing their thoughts, concerns, and feedback without fear of judgement or reprisal creates a workplace where people know their opinions are valued and are more likely to contribute their insights and perspectives, leading to better decision-making and problem-solving.
- Growth Mindset Environment – Embracing the belief that individuals’ intelligence, skills and talents and the collective expertise and talents of the team are not fixed traits, but that they can be developed over time creates opportunities for everyone to reach their full potential.
- 360 Degree Support – A workplace that provides mutual and multiple levels of support sets the expectation that individuals will support one another regardless of level or role. Leaders support direct reports and their peers. Individual contributors provide support to leaders and to one another. This mutuality of support extends to the interactions between teams and functions. Overall support involves empathy, active listening and openness to ideas and the differences individuals offer the organization.
Every aspect of organizational life impacts an individual’s ability to achieve a sense of belonging. At the organizational level, it includes the mission, values, policies, systems, processes, and practices. People leaders have considerable influence…remember people don’t leave organizations, they leave bosses. This speaks to the importance of developing leaders’ mindsets, behaviors, and skills they need to support their teams. Finally, peers play a key role by showing support to one another, committing to shared goals, and reinforcing a work climate of respect.
