Exercise - Examine and reflect on interactions to cultivate belonging
You want to further examine and understand what belonging will mean to you and your team. Review the following interaction scenarios to examine whether interactions cultivate a sense of belonging. Optionally, note your thoughts on a device or on paper.
Reflection 1: Your own sense of belonging
Take a moment to reflect on your own sense of belonging. Try to remember a time when you felt you had a strong sense of belonging and then consider these questions:
Did your manager, teacher, peers, or coworkers contribute to your sense of belonging?
What impact did these people have on your ability to learn or do your job effectively?
What messages from the people around you contributed to your sense of belonging?
What impact did those messages have on your ability to learn or do your job effectively?
Reflection 2: Belonging in groups
In both of the following scenarios, members of a developers' group interact with the group leader. Review the scenarios and then use the questions to reflect on how a sense of belonging can be affected in different circumstances.
Scenario 1
A group member arrives late to an appointment with the group leader to discuss a project. They're flustered and unfocused. When the group leader begins discussing some of the weak points in their work, the group member is upset. They say they feel like everyone else in the group is "getting it" and they just don't belong. The group leader assures them there's no truth to this perception, and if the member is really struggling, they should quit the project.
Scenario 2
A group member who identifies as a minority expresses they're having a hard time with the group dynamic. They don't perceive much racial diversity in the group, and they feel unwelcome based on their race. The group leader, who is white, assures them that everyone feels a sense of not being welcome at some point in their life, for some reason or another. The leader tells them that they shouldn't dwell on it too much. The group member leaves feeling dismissed.
Reflection 2 questions
Reflect on these scenarios by considering:
What might the group member in each scenario be feeling or thinking?
How could each group member's identity or sense of belonging play a role in what's happening in each scenario?
How would you change the group leader's responses in each scenario to promote a sense of belonging?
Reflection 3: Biases and belonging
For this activity, imagine you're a participant in a programming seminar and you're meeting your fellow participants. Review the following scenarios, illustrating your interactions with three participants. Afterwards, consider the reflective questions. Be as honest as possible.
Participant A
When you first meet with Participant A, they express anxieties about participating in the seminar. They tell you they were an art history major in college and have no previous experience with programming. They're concerned they'll be in over their head.
Participant B
When you first meet Participant B, they start telling you about some of their favorite programming projects in high school. They make a point of dropping a few technical terms and expressing enthusiasm about the seminar.
Participant C
When you first meet Participant C, they're effusive and appear much older than you. They tell you they're a non-traditional age programmer and haven't taken a math class in over 30 years. Participant C shares that their kids convinced them to get more familiar with computers. They don't seem at all anxious about the seminar.
Reflection 3 questions
Reflect on each of the previous interactions and consider these questions:
Did you notice that you had any biases or assumptions about any of the participants, such as their age, gender, or socioeconomic status?
What could you do to recognize an initial sense of belonging in each participant?
What could you do to promote a greater sense of belonging in each participant?