Belonging by Design: Let’s Get This Started!

We are excited to launch the Talent Dimensions newsletter, Belonging by Design. Talent Dimensions was formed five years ago when we brought together solutions from two leading firms that spanned the talent management continuum. It was time to realize the interdependencies that existed across that continuum and bring solutions to our clients that create sustainable change and continuous growth.

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 impacts will be felt from years to come. 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.

Belonging has been popularized over the last few years. Let’s face it, it is incredibly important. Maslow identified it as the third most important human need just after physiological and safety needs. We believe it is the most important 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 achieve a feeling of belonging takes focus, intentionality and defined purpose which is what let 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. And 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.

This newsletter is dedicated to 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 are facing in society that undoubtedly spill over into the workplace and create an additional level of complexity for leaders and organizations.

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 the ability to find meaning in one’s role, their team and the organization and its 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 and feel safe, that’s when the magic happens.

Now that we know everyone ultimately has the need to belong, we would like to expand on the understanding of similarities – being that we are, in fact, more alike than we realize. At the most granular level, our genetic makeup, the DNA of all human beings living today is about 99.9% similar. While there are variations among individuals in terms of physical traits like eye color, height and skin tone, these differences are relatively minor compared to the genetic similarity we share.

Psychologist Janet Shibley Hyde, PhD of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, discovered that males and females from childhood to adulthood are more alike than different on psychological variables, resulting in what she calls a gender similarities hypothesis. This hypothesis is based on a meta-analyses of psychological gender differences. The analyses found that approximately 78% of the effect size fell in the close-to-zero or small range. It is important to note that while gender similarities hypothesis suggests a general pattern of similarity, there are still specific psychological traits and behaviors where gender differences are more pronounced.

Let’s turn our attention to similarities globally by looking at the Situational Around the World: A Replication and Extension in 62 Countries by Daniel I. Lee, Gwendolyn Gardiner, Erica Baranski, Members of the International Situations Project, and David C. Funder. This study has shown that people from various parts of the world often have very similar experiences in their daily lives. These commonalities across cultures show that despite differences in language, customs and transitions, basic human experiences and desires for happiness, love and fulfillment resonate across the globe.

Do these similarities contradict the notion that belonging looks different for every person? Absolutely not. We are more alike than we realize, but our history and lived experiences have shaped our view of the world and what is important to us. As we continue to explore Belonging by Design, we will share insights, practical guidance and what organizations are doing to create cultures where individuals can achieve a true sense of belonging and the individuals, as well as the organizations they are a part of, can then reach their full potential.