In today’s world it’s widely recognized that people are hard-wired to belong and to feel accepted by others. In fact, science says the need to belong is a fundamental source of motivation, impacting our personal productivity and our organizational performance. When American psychologist Abraham Maslow developed his ‘hierarchy of needs’, he pinpointed how important a feeling of belonging is. It follows then that organizations and companies that recognize the importance of inclusion, can create a new generation of leaders who positively impact our future.
This exact topic drew more than 500 company founders, social entrepreneurs, CEOs and senior business leaders to the 4th annual Women in Innovation (w.in) Forum in New York in May. This year’s forum focused on Inclusion, Innovation and Impact—all of which start with “I.” The 2019 event was the biggest yet and it brought together change makers and diversity lovers and encouraged them to drive the change and innovation they want to see in their companies, organizations and beyond.
Among this set of inspiring speakers was Jean-Christophe Flatin, President of Innovation, Science, Technology and Mars Edge, who joined a panel about the Power of Belonging. He and other thought leaders shared various perspectives, from creating an individual sense of belonging at large companies, like L’Oréal, and appealing to a purpose-driven Gen Z, right the way through to a philosopher’s view on the need to be a bit ‘messy’ to really drive inclusion.
