Belonging as the so Often Overlooked Aspect of DEI

Exploring an important individual feeling with organization-level impacts

In the variety of acronyms floating around the diversity, equity, and inclusion space, one particular one stands out - belonging.  With belonging, the term gives an interesting perceived centering of the individual.  Do they feel like they belong in this space?  

With so many of the other terms, we see the importance of the group (and rightly so, in many cases).  For example, diversity is a term focused on group identities and often incorrectly used to describe individuals.  Equity feels often like a comparison among individuals or identity groups.  Inclusion appears to be group-centric and about bringing others into the space from an outside pulling in orientation.

Yet belonging can center the individual in the space, perhaps more than any of the others.  

Please check out an earlier post for The Write Climate on the word salad in the diversity, equity, and inclusion space:  So Many DEI Acronyms, So Little Time

To expand on this earlier discussion, DEIB is a newer acronym.  It is gaining in popularity to include the ‘B’ for belonging to create DEIB. Inclusion generally focuses on bringing those who have been actively or historically excluded from spaces into those spaces.  Belonging centers on a close or intimate relationship and focuses primarily on the situation and, by extension, feelings of the individual in the situation.   

These two terms highlight slightly overlapping, yet conflicting, ideas.  Once we have wrapped our brains around that last sentence, exploring belonging can be an often overlooked aspect of DEI.

A quick Google search of “define belonging” reveals “an affinity for a place or situation.”  It is that affinity that matters in this situation.  The affinity of the individual.  How do I feel about this place?  Am I valued here?  Are my efforts worthwhile?

Specifically in the DEI space, belonging focuses on the feeling of security and support when there is a sense of acceptance, inclusion, and identity for a member of a certain group.  A sense of belonging is an important DEI metric, which sounds terribly clinical.  However, it presents a unique aspect to gauge whether broader efforts are working.  

This begs the question, does this really matter?  While often ignored, a sense of belonging is critical in nearly any situation.  From home life, to religious groups, to community spaces, and even in the workplace, a sense of belonging is essential for navigating these areas and relationships.  When people feel that they do not belong at work, their performance and personal lives suffer.  This hurts everyone, but particularly the marginalized individual.  This can damage lives, relationships, and careers.  For the business, it is not productive, stifles creativity, and limits the potential of incredible individuals.

The sense or feeling of belonging ties in closely with the concept of engagement.  SHRM describes how employee engagement emphasizes how much enthusiasm and connection employees feel with the wider organization.  It can be a proxy for or measure of how likely people may be to go above and beyond or even how likely they might be to stay.

Basically, the sense of belonging is when an individual feels that they are able to bring their authentic self to work.  The authentic self is who you truly are as a person, not filtered to others’ values and needs.  This is an identity level that is a genuine representation of you as a person.  It does not depend on the dominant group’s interests or guidelines.  While a deeper dive likely should be left to another time, the authentic self is a key concept in understanding belonging in various spaces.

The sense of belonging is also intimately entwined with psychological safety.  This is the belief that an individual can speak up without the risk of punishment or humiliation within the organization.  Sadly, this is exceedingly rare.  Even individuals who have many majority identities do not have this in the workplace, even while having other privileges.

Place can also matter, whether physical or virtual.  The related concept of sense of place immediately springs to mind.  This is the variety of meanings of and the attachment to a place held by an individual or a community.  A sense of place immediately takes me back to a stuffy lecture hall in an awkward post-modern concrete building at Arizona State University.  I can feel the dust on my skin and see the assembled crowds listening to Dr.  Steve Semken’s seminar about the importance of a sense of place in education.  Even though about a decade has passed, the feelings, the environment, the importance of the topic, and my feelings of time spent ducking into the shade of concrete buildings after long walks to seminars remain.

Creating a place where individuals can have a sense of belonging is an organization-wide effort.  A number of ideas for fostering internal cultures to grow a sense of belonging focus on intentional structure, dialogues, and trust.  A summary of a few ways to create environments to build belonging include:

• Intentional connections.  Connect people with purpose and consider team dynamics.  Purposeful connections and creating intentional structures help to guide and develop collaboration and connection among individuals and teams.

• Relationships of trust.  This is essential in many areas, but in this case, focuses on formal or informal mentoring programs.

• Invite ideas - and the people who have them - in.  Input from everyone should be a given, but sadly, is not.  Decision making processes should be clear and transparent and everyone should have the metaphorical “seat at the table.”

• Focus on storytelling.  Creating connections among individuals can be enhanced when people are able to share and connect with each others’ lived experiences, interests, and values.  People can feel this sense of belonging when they are seen as full people, not production bots.

What contributes to you feeling like you belong in a space?  How might your organization improve?

With all of these photos, perhaps today my nostalgia is showing.  The Sonoran Desert is a beautiful, incredible ecosystem with some of the most amazing organisms and vistas.  While prickly, rocky, and dry, it all just sort of belongs just right.