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Fostering The Sense Of Belonging Promotes Success

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Do I belong here?

That is a question that every candidate wonders when considering taking a new job. Will I like the work I will be doing? Will I be able to get along with my co-workers? Will I find meaning in my new job? Answering yes to these questions is the right first step.

If you can answer these answers the same way in a year then those of us in the human capital development business will say you are “engaged.” Engagement is, as I like to joke, a six-dollar word that consultants say when people like what they do and want to come to work everyday.

The reason for their connection to work and the workplace is due to a sense of belonging. Dr. Abraham Maslow, a pioneering social psychologist, ranks “belonging” as third in his Hierarchy of Needs for human satisfaction and fulfillment. Individuals feel that they fit in. On one level they fit because the work is interesting. On another level they feel connected to their co-workers. And ultimately, and ideally, they feel part of the workplace because their work has meaning.

Peter Drucker, the founding thinker of modern management, wrote that executives should treat knowledge workers (a term he coined) as one would treat a volunteer. Drucker, who had a knack for cutting to the heart of the matter, understood that employees who use their brains for one employer could just as easily put those brains to work for another employer. And if a company wanted to retain them it needed to make them feel welcome.

Organizations that depend upon volunteer labor understand this dynamic intuitively. They know that if someone who does not feel that they fit it or worse are not making a contribution will go some place else. In a hurry! Volunteerism springs from a commitment to do good, to make that positive difference. They volunteer because they find satisfaction in helping others.

Volunteers who remain with an organization find fulfillment. Same applies to employees who work for hire. Both groups are engaged in what they do and why they do it. In short they feel a sense of belonging.

Belonging is essential to developing that sense of engagement. And here are three ways to nurture it.

Find purpose. Work without purpose is work; work with purpose can be joy. When people know that what they do matters to others and how it is connected to what the organization gives meaning to labor. Purposeful work is work that encourages commitment.

Recognize results. Work is hard. Life is short. Two well-worn clichés that can be mitigated when management takes the time to recognize a job well-done. Publicize the accomplishments of teams and make note of the people who outperformed the norm. Results should resonate so that everyone knows what has been achieved.

Encourage camaraderie. Work is not a place to socialize. It is a place to pull together to do the job. That said, when people are united in purpose they may find affinity with one another. Managers can encourage that connection by creating opportunities for employees to connect in their off-hours through activities that run the gamut from recreational sports, company picnics, or group volunteer events.

One caveat. When it comes to socialization, participation is strictly voluntarily. Forcing people to do something outside of work defeats the essence of belonging.

There is something else about belonging that was pointed out to me by an executive with whom I was work. He noted that belonging connotes ownership. You belong therefore you own. Not property but something more meaningful. You own responsibility. You have a sense of autonomy that enables you to act for the good of the organization. Not because you have to, but because you want to.

Fostering the sense of belonging may be one of a leader’s most powerful levers. Used properly it elevates the nature of work with a sense of purpose that brings people together for common cause and encourages them to bond with one another in the work they do.

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