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You Belong Here: 7 Ways for Tech Leaders to Build Belonging

By Kelsea Watson posted 11-02-2022 11:55 AM

  

You Belong Here: 7 Ways for Tech Leaders to Build Belonging

Contributor: Allison Ross Starling, M.Ed.

 

When was the first time you truly felt like you belonged in your current organization? Can you pinpoint the catalyst for feeling like you were part of the community, or does this question spark ideas about whether you feel like you belong at all? As leaders, amplifying belonging falls under each of our purviews as we seek to increase community through belonging.

Belonging is a major component of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). It benefits not only the well-being of the individual but also the organization in both cognition and emotional balance. The members of the ATLIS DEI Advisory Committee have offered up 7 ways to build belonging as a tech leader in your organization.

  1. “The week before preplanning (with the consent of HR), we provided the newbies with the opportunity to make an appointment with an EdTech specialist for device pickup. The appointments were an hour long and included personalized training on the Macbook, with an emphasis on the systems that the newbie would use. Having the optional pickup beforehand takes some of the stress off of the newbie during the crazy, overscheduled preplanning time. It also gives us some time to start building that relationship.” - Jennifer H.

  2. “We have some robust Slack connections that both build community and facilitate things we need. Babies and Fur Babies, Parking, Fun Announcements are all very active and connect our community who may not otherwise work closely together.” -Shelly W.
  3. “My go-to these days is to foster curiosity with teams. Curiosity keeps you open to ideas and perspectives and keeps you out of judgment. Being open seems to invite people to walk into the space -- both physically and as an invitation to belong.” - Emily S.
  4. “From my role as a technology director, it felt essential to lean into spaces where the conversation is not only about technology but conversations about diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. Growing in these conversations, in partnership with colleagues, nurtures an emotional dimension in the IT team that otherwise disappears due to our daily technical work. This plays a role in presenting a welcoming community to all colleagues.” - Oscar S.
  5. “Our goal here was to help everyone feel that they had a resource (the IT team) and that they had equal access to that no matter what. We worked on creating a culture of self-reliance no matter where an individual's starting point was. Our messaging, interactions, and even replies to help tickets had the goal of encouraging the ‘asker’ to keep asking questions. We wanted to empower people with the vocabulary to ask questions that gave us guidance and details, and of course, we NEVER wanted anyone to start with the preface of, ‘I feel stupid but…’ If people feel comfortable coming to you no matter what, they won't wait until they are frustrated before coming for help. We are trying to change the culture of ageism, sexism, and whether or not someone is techy, to one that recognizes people's individuality within the system and that all have equal access to equipment, help, and guidance.” - Jason E.
  6. “I recall meeting with one of our emeriti faculty who worked at [our school] for more than 40 years as a French teacher—and was probably in her early 80s when she retired. Ageism is sometimes a forgotten landscape in our society, though teachers often have great longevity in comparison to other careers. Taking this into consideration from a technology perspective, being mid-30s in Silicon Valley is jokingly, or perhaps seriously, considered a dinosaur in its own right. It's not uncommon for veteran teachers' needs to be overlooked when it comes to technology. This teacher came back to school a few years after retiring, and she asked if she could meet with me, as we sometimes permit long-term retired teachers to keep their school-provided email address, and she had questions about using it on her iPad. We had a great chat, and at the end, she said to me that when she was working at [our school], she was so intimidated by me and by the work that I did because it was so foreign to her and complicated. I was surprised, because I think I'm one of the most non-intimidating people, but I understood her perspective of being someone who feels lost when it comes to technology, and I have seen how it can stir strong negative emotions in some cases. I told her that I was glad that she could tell me that and that I hoped her intimidation of technology and my work didn't cause her trouble during her time in the school, and that she seemed to be doing fine with technology from what I could tell, especially since she was adept at using the iPad. I think of this sometimes, and I wonder if we are adequately meeting the needs of all of our learners—who are sometimes our teachers, sometimes affected by barriers that we or society have erected in their ways to being successful.” - Daniel M.
  7. “When I think about technology in schools, I think about how technology fits the needs of the school, not what technology we have that works for what the school does. As such, I try to be part of anything at the school that I can. Going to grade-level meetings, division meetings, chaperoning trips, and staying for events. At the end of the day, folks appreciate that, aside from being ‘part’ of all school lines, technology is probably because I’m always just there. It doesn’t feel weird or forced to have technology in the room or part of a conversation. I have gleaned so much insight from listening to everyone in the school, and they have felt like technology is a natural part of their story system in return. It’s been very organic and bridged many gaps that exist.” - Matthew N.

Allison Ross Starling, M.Ed., is the director of innovation at St Gabriel's Catholic School in Austin, TX. She is an active member of ATLIS and serves on the DEI advisory committee. 

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