Sense of Belonging, The Final Step in Creating an Inclusive Works

When I interviewed subjects in focus groups for my dissertation several years ago, I remember one subject making the statement: “I feel like an uninvited guest in a white space.” When asked to describe the learning and social environment they were part of, another subject stated: “They (his white peers) act like the spaces they occupy belong to them and they act entitled.” It wasn’t until a read the work of Dr. Terrel Strayhorn, College Students’ Sense of Belonging, that I began to realize the context of this statement. In his book Dr. Strayhorn cites famed psychologist Abraham Maslow, who introduced the concept of sense of belonging as the most basic human need and how it affects motivation and performance.

In the current climate where companies are attempting to be culturally responsive to the needs of employees who are predominately impacted by inequities related to race, gender, and sexual orientation, which now more than ever occurs against a backdrop of vigorous conversation about race and inequity, one key ingredient is missing. Emphasis has been placed on diversity, equity, and inclusion; however, the latter falls short of having an optimal impact on employee buy in. If employees are included yet feel they don’t belong and/or have no agency to impact or influence the underlying climate, they will ultimately depart or feel disenfranchised. On the other hand, if they have a sense of belonging and agency, it can set the tone for positive changes. Strayhorn and Maslow suggest that sense of belonging is a basic human need and a necessary precondition for developing higher order proclivities, such as intrinsic motivation to learn and achieve, which can drive the bottom line. Furthermore, Strayhorn posits that sense of belonging engenders other positive outcomes such as engagement, well-being, happiness, and optimal functioning and persistence. Although Strayhorn’s model is based on collegiate settings, I believe sense of belonging is also applicable to corporate settings that have similar characteristics. If we have corporate leaders who are culturally proficient in creating intentional strategies and interventions to foster a sense of belonging for historically marginalized employees, they can become models for diversity, equity, and inclusion; increase their ability to attract a diverse workforce; increase their innovation; and ultimately increase their business bottom-line.