The Question Everyone Asks
“Isn’t belonging just another way to say DEI or IDEA?”
I hear this constantly. And the confusion makes sense, both focus on creating better workplaces. But they’re fundamentally different.
The Core Difference
DEI/IDEA focuses on STRUCTURE:
Who’s in the room?
Do they have fair opportunities?
Are they invited to participate?
Belonging focuses on DAILY EXPERIENCE:
Can people show up as their best selves once hired?
Are success factors set up to help them succeed?
Can employees sustain long-term performance?
One creates the framework. The other creates the lived experience.
Measured Differently
DEI/IDEA tracks:
Demographics and representation ratios
Policy compliance and accessibility standards
Equity audits
Belonging measures five validated indicators:
Comfort – Can you show up fully, or do you shrink yourself to fit in?
Connection – Are you known, trusted, and aligned with those around you?
Contribution – Is your value recognized and applied to outcomes?
Psychological Safety – Can you speak up without fear of judgment?
Wellbeing – Do you have the capacity and support to sustain performance?
These aren’t private feelings. They’re relational conditions that live between people and inside systems.
Built Differently
Belonging is not fitting in.
Fitting in requires people to adapt to be accepted.
Belonging invites mutual accountability; it’s a 50/50 model, built through action.
Your part is twofold:
Anchor yourself in the five indicators
Cultivate them in the environment around you
The Accountability Difference
DEI/IDEA: 100% organizational accountability (structure, policies, representation)
Belonging: 50/50 mutual accountability (individuals AND the organization create conditions together)
Use one self-action and one system action each week. Measure, monitor, and evolve.
Why This Matters
This isn’t theory. Research with 3,500 participants across 11 TSX organizations, applied to over 100,000 employees, shows:
When you build systems where everyone can belong:
Trust, speed, and quality increase
Teams move cleaner and make fewer errors
People sustain performance over time
Your best people already know the difference between DEI checkboxes and truly belonging. They’re making career decisions based on your answers.
The Bottom Line
DEI/IDEA: Structure, representation, equity, access (100% organizational accountability)
Belonging: Daily experience, culture, five indicators (50/50 mutual accountability)
The goal isn’t to make people fit in.
It’s to build systems where everyone can belong.
What’s one action you’ll take this week? Comment with the indicator you’ll strengthen first: Comfort, Connection, Contribution, Psychological Safety, or Wellbeing.
Andrea D. Carter is the founder of the Belonging First Methodology. Research published in peer-reviewed journals. Learn more at belongingfirst.com
