Belonging

Belonging is a fierce, universal, primal need. We need to belong – to one another, to our culture and community, to the world beyond. Stanford psychologist Gregory Walton described belonging as a psychological lever with broad consequences. Our wellbeing, motivation and mental health are tied to feeling we belong to something bigger than us, a greater community of common interests and aspirations.

Most remember the agonies of childhood exclusion. I suspect you are thinking of that playground protagonist right now. And most can interpret the adult rules that define being in the right place at the right time.

Last week, Harvard Business Review published ‘What does it take to build a culture of belonging?’ by Kennedy and Jain-Link. Decades of employee engagement expertise twisted when I read their research. How much more I want to belong, than ‘be engaged’.

This is not about fitting in. Belonging enhances identity and diversity. Kennedy and Jain-Link suggest we belong at work when we are seen for our distinct contributions; connected to our coworkers; supported in our daily work and career development; proud of our organisation’s values and purpose. These business behaviours create the psychological and organisational safety we need to create and contribute, to experiment, fail and try again.

It is interesting that while PwC found 52% CFOs planned to make remote working a permanent option, belonging is not linked to a physical place but corporate norms. Of course, corporate norms are difficult to establish behind Zoom. Establishing norms might demand the physical contact and unplanned observations and conversations of being in the same office.

In this sense, perhaps the winners and losers of the WFH debate will be decided by where a business is in its cultural evolution, rather than the reductive pattern and location of desks.

Place cannot be dismissed. Some fascinating new research suggests that feeling we belong to a neighbourhood or urban environment heightens the responsibility we take for preserving and protecting that small slice of the world. Belonging fuels sustainability and sustainability impacts us all.

Take a look around. Are you exactly where you need to be?