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Connect-able blogConnect ED offers midweek, bi-weekly blog posts that are beneficial to those who invest in community building, organizational development, healthy relationships, and story. Join the conversation!
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Next book, "Local Interactions," coming in winter of 2024.
Six tools
Belonging
Even though belonging is the foundation, the structure, and the ultimate goal that will allow for healthy self-organization of any system, it can also be a beginning point. Usually, this is experienced with a combination of TED style presentation learning, activities, discussion, and story sharing in a workshop or retreat environment. It can stand alone or act as the umbrella for all the other tools.
The healthy increase of belonging should be a trauma-informed effort. It should produce, resilience, strength, and anti-fragility. While Connect Ed does not in any way to turn community members into counselors, it does recognize and recommend the role of empathetic, compassionate, responsive community relationships as powerful healing agents in the lives of those of us who are trauma impacted. Many studies have shown that the positive benefits of "moderately trained paraprofessionals" usually outperform the efforts of professional counselors and psychologists. Again, we make no claim to replace therapy. But we do tell the story of healing that happens in community. We endeavor to teach about trauma and resilience in the context of belonging. And it does work.
While many organizations are rightly focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work (DEI), they often miss the larger purpose. Everyone belongs - this should be experienced physically, emotionally, and mentally by all members of a system. If we focus only on increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion for those who are marginalized, we run the risk of tokenization, requiring excessive emotional labor, and a kind of colonialist savior mentality that furthers an "othering" stance. However, when every individual identity is recognized as valuable, when exchange of resources is balanced, appropriate, and mutual, when restorative work is being done, when every element of the system is interdependent, and when all are contributing to and benefiting from a generative purpose - many of the goals of DEI work are met.
The healthy increase of belonging should be a trauma-informed effort. It should produce, resilience, strength, and anti-fragility. While Connect Ed does not in any way to turn community members into counselors, it does recognize and recommend the role of empathetic, compassionate, responsive community relationships as powerful healing agents in the lives of those of us who are trauma impacted. Many studies have shown that the positive benefits of "moderately trained paraprofessionals" usually outperform the efforts of professional counselors and psychologists. Again, we make no claim to replace therapy. But we do tell the story of healing that happens in community. We endeavor to teach about trauma and resilience in the context of belonging. And it does work.
While many organizations are rightly focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work (DEI), they often miss the larger purpose. Everyone belongs - this should be experienced physically, emotionally, and mentally by all members of a system. If we focus only on increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion for those who are marginalized, we run the risk of tokenization, requiring excessive emotional labor, and a kind of colonialist savior mentality that furthers an "othering" stance. However, when every individual identity is recognized as valuable, when exchange of resources is balanced, appropriate, and mutual, when restorative work is being done, when every element of the system is interdependent, and when all are contributing to and benefiting from a generative purpose - many of the goals of DEI work are met.
Story
Many groups start here by introducing story sharing sessions into staff and board meetings. With the Five Minute Story as the backbone, this can alter company culture from obligated minimal production to personal, passionate mission. When we know each other's stories, we can see who we are as the character's in our shared narrative. We become much more human, "real" people with surprising commonalities that break down barriers and cultivate connections.
Connect Ed can help facilitate the first story sharing sessions as well as train Story Guides who can continue to teach, encourage, and sustain a connected, storytelling culture.
Connect Ed can help facilitate the first story sharing sessions as well as train Story Guides who can continue to teach, encourage, and sustain a connected, storytelling culture.
The Narrative Enneagram
The Enneagram is an ancient tool that offers insight into the processes and structures of the universe. Lately, it has revealed wisdom regarding the inner workings of the human soul - its deepest desires, fears, motives, and pathways to healing. People often say they don't like personality tests because they don't like being put into a box. The Enneagram acknowledges that we are already in a box while it shows us the pathways to get out of it.
Using the Enneagram as a way to build team connectedness is a great place to start that will inform relationships and roles for years.
Using the Enneagram as a way to build team connectedness is a great place to start that will inform relationships and roles for years.
Appreciative Inquiry
Appreciative Inquiry is a five part tool used to take a group of people step by step through a process to determine how they are best suited to further their shared mission, vision and values. It puts every voice forward in an equitable story that unearths powerful human resources, untapped capacity, and processes that may already be in place but not functioning at their full potential. This tool is rooted in positive psychology and is an excellent way to solve problems, re-orient groups, and develop strategies that fit. Accountability for action and implementation are built in.
Social Systems Mapping
All human systems are complex and adaptive. To improve the health, interactions, and effectiveness of the members of any system, we need to understand how they fit together, how they influence each other, and how resources flow through the system. Social systems mapping is done using three interdependent tools that, together, offer endless possibilities for development, interaction, and sense-making.
Empowered Evaluation
Many times, organizations produce great visions and plans but struggle to implement and sustain them over time. Empowered Evaluation is the answer. Instead of hiring analysts who compare a baseline to an end result a year later and then offer solutions that require another year to evaluate, EE turns your team into evaluators. Baseline conditions are determined, goals and the strategies to accomplish them are put in place, and then team leads are empowered to evaluate and adjust on a regular basis. This allows for smoother, real-time course corrections that carry your organization or community to a better result than what you originally imagined.
articles
The Value of belonging at Work - Evan W. Carr, Andrew Reece, Gabriella Rosen Kellerman, and Alexi Robichaux, December 16, 2019
https://hbr.org/2019/12/the-value-of-belonging-at-work
Belonging is Fundamental - Baumeister, Roy F., and Mark R. Leary. “The Need to Belong: Desire for Interpersonal Attachments as a Fundamental Human Motivation.” Psychological Bulletin 117, no. 3 (May 1995): 497–529. http://dx.doi.org.cupdx.idm.oclc.org/10.1037/0033-2909.117.3.497.
Social Network Theory - Cacioppo, John T., James H. Fowler, and Nicholas A. Christakis. “Alone in the Crowd: The Structure and Spread of Loneliness in a Large Social Network.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 97, no. 6 (December 2009): 977–91. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016076.
Storytelling and Identity - Fabius, Chanee D. “Toward an Integration of Narrative Identity, Generativity, and Storytelling in African American Elders.” Journal of Black Studies 47, no. 5 (July 1, 2016): 423–34. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021934716638801.
Hagerty, Bonnie M. K., Judith Lynch-Sauer, Kathleen L. Patusky, Maria Bouwsema, and Peggy Collier. “Sense of Belonging: A Vital Mental Health Concept.” Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 6, no. 3 (June 1, 1992): 172–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/0883-9417(92)90028-H.
Lambert, Nathaniel M., Tyler F. Stillman, Joshua A. Hicks, Shanmukh Kamble, Roy F. Baumeister, and Frank D. Fincham. “To Belong Is to Matter: Sense of Belonging Enhances Meaning in Life.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 39, no. 11 (November 1, 2013): 1418–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167213499186.
The General Belongingness Scale - Malone, Glenn P., David R. Pillow, and Augustine Osman. “The General Belongingness Scale (GBS): Assessing Achieved Belongingness.” Personality and Individual Differences 52, no. 3 (February 1, 2012): 311–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2011.10.027.
Sense of Community - McMillan, David W., and David M. Chavis. “Sense of Community: A Definition and Theory.” Journal of Community Psychology 14, no. 1 (January 1986): 6–23.cupdx.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sih&AN=24679691&site=ehost-live&scope=site
The Kawaii Longitudinal Study - Werner, Emmy E., and Ruth S. Smith. Overcoming the Odds: High Risk Children from Birth to Adulthood. Cornell University Press, 1992.
https://hbr.org/2019/12/the-value-of-belonging-at-work
Belonging is Fundamental - Baumeister, Roy F., and Mark R. Leary. “The Need to Belong: Desire for Interpersonal Attachments as a Fundamental Human Motivation.” Psychological Bulletin 117, no. 3 (May 1995): 497–529. http://dx.doi.org.cupdx.idm.oclc.org/10.1037/0033-2909.117.3.497.
Social Network Theory - Cacioppo, John T., James H. Fowler, and Nicholas A. Christakis. “Alone in the Crowd: The Structure and Spread of Loneliness in a Large Social Network.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 97, no. 6 (December 2009): 977–91. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016076.
Storytelling and Identity - Fabius, Chanee D. “Toward an Integration of Narrative Identity, Generativity, and Storytelling in African American Elders.” Journal of Black Studies 47, no. 5 (July 1, 2016): 423–34. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021934716638801.
Hagerty, Bonnie M. K., Judith Lynch-Sauer, Kathleen L. Patusky, Maria Bouwsema, and Peggy Collier. “Sense of Belonging: A Vital Mental Health Concept.” Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 6, no. 3 (June 1, 1992): 172–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/0883-9417(92)90028-H.
Lambert, Nathaniel M., Tyler F. Stillman, Joshua A. Hicks, Shanmukh Kamble, Roy F. Baumeister, and Frank D. Fincham. “To Belong Is to Matter: Sense of Belonging Enhances Meaning in Life.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 39, no. 11 (November 1, 2013): 1418–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167213499186.
The General Belongingness Scale - Malone, Glenn P., David R. Pillow, and Augustine Osman. “The General Belongingness Scale (GBS): Assessing Achieved Belongingness.” Personality and Individual Differences 52, no. 3 (February 1, 2012): 311–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2011.10.027.
Sense of Community - McMillan, David W., and David M. Chavis. “Sense of Community: A Definition and Theory.” Journal of Community Psychology 14, no. 1 (January 1986): 6–23.cupdx.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sih&AN=24679691&site=ehost-live&scope=site
The Kawaii Longitudinal Study - Werner, Emmy E., and Ruth S. Smith. Overcoming the Odds: High Risk Children from Birth to Adulthood. Cornell University Press, 1992.