Developing Across Differences: Using the Power of Belonging

About

Belonging is a crucial, approachable element often missing in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Additionally, Belonging is often more welcome and less polarizing than other DEI approaches to which there may be entrenched resistance.

Learn how strategically focusing on this shared human need — and navigating the delicate balance between inclusion and exclusion — can improve well-being and performance, making diverse teams and organizations more effective.

Why should you attend?
A strong sense of Belonging is proven to enhance collaboration, performance, compassion, engagement, and wellbeing. People who feel a strong sense of Belonging to their team or organization thrive.

In contrast, the absence of Belonging can lead to isolation, disengagement, and a loss of cooperation and potential. Further, when practices are not designed intentionally and carefully, the result can be unwanted side effects, e.g. exclusion / othering and intergroup conflict.

Join this course to learn how to leverage the power of Belonging to support increased organizational and team engagement, inclusion, and performance.

- Part 1 of this course explores the science of Belonging as a universal need and “psychological wise interventions”: brief, targeted strategies that aim to change how people interpret themselves, others, and / or social situations for the better.
- Part 2 offers practical tools and exercises to design, implement, and assess customizable evidence-based solutions ranging from “wise interventions” to broader organizational efforts.

Leave with a personalized blueprint for measuring and promoting Belonging within your organization / team setting.

Course leader

Dr. Nadine Binder, Annelie Wambeek

Target group

Participant profile
This course is for you if are — or are helping those who are —

- An organizational leader or manager looking to create a more inclusive work environment, enhance cohesion, and improve overall workplace culture among your diverse employees / team members.
- A practitioner (educator, consultant, trainer) seeking practical and evidence-based strategies to promote Belonging as part of your larger DEI efforts including strategic planning, program implementation, consulting, training, and / or coaching.
- Serving in a role that supports leaders and teams in their development to improve engagement and performance (e.g., HR, people development, leadership or organizational development).

Contact the organisers at ic@rug.nl or info@iddifferences.org if you have questions about the suitability of this course for your circumstances.

Level requirements
The DAD is for multipliers who help individuals, organizations and societies better recognize, appreciate and use differences as a way of better communicating, working and thriving together.

These are (in-house and external) trainers, educators, consultants, coaches, researchers, scholars, facilitators, HR staff, advanced-level (MA+) students, and professional development specialists with 5+ years of experience/study in the greater Differences field. Contact the organisers at ic@rug.nl or info@iddifferences.org for consultation about appropriateness and eligibility.

It is expected that the participants have a sufficient command of the English language to actively participate in the discussions and to present their own work in English.

Course aim

In this course, you will learn how to help yourself and those you work with so that you/they can better:

- Understand the science behind Belonging and its benefits on the individual, team, and organizational levels.
- Learn how to design and implement evidence-based interventions that create and maintain a strong sense of Belonging to strengthen inclusion, engagement, performance, well-being, and organizational outcomes.
- Support Belonging in ways that mitigate the often ignored “dark side” of Belonging: Othering.
- Harness the power of Belonging without unwanted negative side effects such as perpetuating discrimination, reducing social cohesion, or fueling intergroup conflict.

Workload
6 hours of in-class learning and active participation using experiential methods.

Upon successful completion of the programme, the Summer School offers a Certificate of Attendance that mentions the workload of 6 hours (28 hours corresponds to 1 ECTS). Students can apply for recognition of these credits to the relevant authorities in their home institutions, therefore the final decision on awarding credits is at the discretion of their home institutions. We will be happy to provide any necessary information that might be requested in addition to the certificate of attendance.

Fee info