TRANSFORMING WORKPLACE CULTURE: FROM THROWING FISH TO GENUINE BELONGING

By Kristine Berry, MSEC, CDE

In today’s workplace, only 21% of employees feel a sense of belonging and engagement, leaving a staggering 79% who experience the sting of exclusion. These employees often feel disconnected, discouraged, humiliated, and invisible, making them more likely to join the ranks of temporary employment platforms, “quiet quitters,” or the ongoing “great resignation and retirement.” This disengagement is particularly pronounced in the dental industry, where 90% of dentists report recruiting associates and team members to be “extremely challenging.” The consequences of exclusion are extensive, affecting recruitment, employee satisfaction, turnover rates, patient care, productivity, KPIs, stock price, and the overall well-being of current employees.

The Urgent Need For Change

If you face challenges like high turnover, difficulty attracting qualified candidates, candidate ghosting, or declining employee satisfaction, it’s time to address a possible root cause: the lack of a culture of belonging. To bridge the exclusion gap and transform your workplace, we must build trust, safety, and inclusivity as the foundation of our teams. This transformation isn’t a onetime fix; it’s a process that evolves at the speed of trust.

Perception Shapes Reality

The saying “seeing is believing” implies that our perceptions shape our reality. However, our

worldviews—formed by our experiences, upbringing, education, and identities—significantly influence how we perceive and judge our work cultures. Examining our workplace environments from multiple perspectives is crucial to driving meaningful change.

For example, in the post-COVID-19 era, many leaders have focused on navigating a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) business environment. This environment can create a sense of vulnerability and unpredictability, making organizational management more challenging. For many associates and team members, VUCA isn’t just a business term—it’s a lived reality that extends beyond the workplace. They may already be dealing with volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity in their personal lives before they even arrive at work. As leaders, it’s essential to recognize what you observe and how your experiences may differ from those of the people working with, for, and beside you.

Assessing And Transforming Workplace Culture

To implement an enterprise-wide program that promotes a sense of belonging, the first step is to assess the existing culture, organization, and employees. This may require working with a fractional culture practitioner, A survey of global leaders has revealed a significant gap in readiness, with only 7% feeling confident in their ability to manage in a multicultural environment. This was found in a study by McKinsey Quarterly, where 76% of senior executives acknowledged the need to develop intercultural leadership capabilities within their organizations. It will also involve identifying an internal executive sponsor and team members who can collaborate on this initiative.

This group can examine the underlying assumptions, behaviors, rules, policies, and structures that shape the work environment. It can do this by reviewing current company data, KPIs, surveys, and auditing the organization’s systems, policies, processes, and even the vendors it works with to ensure that inclusivity is practiced, not just preached.

Here are some common “unwritten” norms of leadership exclusion that may exist in your workplace:

• Perfectionism: The belief that if you make a mistake, you are the mistake.

• Either/Or Thinking: Viewing situations as binary, without room for nuance.

• Sense of Urgency: Prioritizing quick wins over intentional and inclusive decision-making.

• Defensiveness: Resisting new ideas and clinging to the status quo.

• Power Hoarding/Scarcity: Leaders feeling threatened by change and holding onto power, knowledge, and feedback.

• Fear of Open Conflict: Avoiding necessary conversations to maintain a facade of politeness.

• Individualism: Valuing competition over collaboration.

• Objectivity: Believing that emotions have no place in the workplace.

CREATING A PATH TO CULTURE SHIFT

Secondarily, it’s time to envision and clarify the culture you want to create. As a framework, leaders could embody the following characteristics to transform their workplace culture:

• Appreciation: Valuing colleagues’ contributions while separating those contributions from any mistakes they may have made.

• Intentionality: Centering people and developing trust and thoughtful decision-making.

• Listening to Understand: Engaging in active listening, not just responding.

• Cross-Cultural Communication: Considering diverse communication styles to foster understanding.

• Trust: Ensuring transparency in decision-making processes and each person’s role.

• Both/And Thinking: Encouraging the development of multiple alternatives rather than binary solutions.

• Power Sharing: Localizing decision-making to those with relevant expertise.

• Sonder: Recognizing that everyone has a complex and vivid life experience.

• Psychological Safety: Prioritizing the feelings and safety of those with the least power over the comfort of those with the most power.

MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER

To move forward, we must challenge the old ways of doing things. Transformation is not easy, and it requires a collective effort. By embracing the principles of belonging and intercultural leadership, we can dismantle the harmful aspects of the status quo and build more equitable and inclusive workplaces. This is your invitation to be part of this transformation. Together, we can create workplaces where belonging is not just an ideal, but a lived reality.

Let’s imagine a future where everyone belongs—and then, let’s make it happen.

About the author:

Kristine is an inclusive leader, coach, and speaker who helps organizations foster sustainable success by leveraging the power of cultural dimensions. She has delivered dynamic webinars and spoken at national and international conferences, earning recognition for her expertise and insights. If you’d like to partner on a cultural initiative or bring a transformative event to your local professional association or team, contact her at coachkristineberry@gmail.com or online at www.linkedin.com/in/kristine-a-berry