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Date posted: 15th July 2020

15th July 2020

Why creating a culture of belonging has topped the leadership agenda

Why creating a culture of belonging has topped the leadership agenda

A sense of belonging is a human need that neuroscience tells us greatly affects wellbeing and self-esteem. Close relationships with other people are a source of happiness and social support a buffer against stress. The need to belong is so strong that neuroscience has shown the brain responds as strongly to social rewards (e.g. social recognition) as it does to money. And, negative relationships and lost connection affect our brains in similar ways to physical injury. Some neuroscientists have even suggested our brains feel similar pain from lack of social connection to deprivation from basic needs like food and water.

According to Deloitte’s Global Human Capital Trends survey, seventy-nine percent of organizations say fostering a sense of belonging in the workforce is important to their success over the next 12 to 18 months, and 93 percent agreed that a sense of belonging drives organizational performance. But why has this suddenly topped the leadership agenda? And what does a workplace with a culture of belonging look like?

From the Article: 

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Our view is that creating a sense of belonging at work is the outcome of three mutually reinforcing attributes. Workers should feel comfortable at work, including being treated fairly and respected by their colleagues. They should feel connected to the people they work with and the teams they are part of. And they should feel that they contribute to meaningful work outcomes—understanding how their unique strengths are helping their teams and organizations achieve common goals.

Our 2020 Global Human Capital Trends survey results offer support for this view. Twenty-five percent of survey respondents identified fostering an environment where workers feel they are treated fairly and can bring their authentic selves to work—comfort—as the biggest driver of belonging. Thirty-one percent said that having a sense of community and identifying with a defined team—connection—was the biggest driver. And 44 percent, a plurality, reported that feeling aligned to the organization’s purpose, mission, and values and being valued for their individual contributions—contribution—was the biggest driver of belonging at work

Get the full article online: Belonging, From comfort to connection to contribution

Make sure to explore Inspiring Workplace’s other content and insights about leadership.