ADLP 7501 Fostering Dignity and Belonging

This course will explore the neuro-psychological foundation of the concepts and beliefs of dignity and belonging. Since dignity violations undermine any efforts to create belonging, the course first will cover a set of principles and practices that eliminate dignity violations in organizations through an understanding of three duties of dignity. From there, students will learn how to generate feelings of belonging. Belonging is the positive feeling of organization-based self-esteem and affiliation that emerges from striving with a group to achieve a common goal or mission. The process of fostering belonging is dynamic and is affected by the specific way one engages in face-to-face counters, whether in a team or in one-on-one meetings. To foster belonging, students will learn how to employ a framework that avoids threat responses which often trigger sets of biases, decisions, and behaviors that lead to alienation and loneliness. They will be presented with five strategic principles that, if followed, can generate genuine feelings of belonging and inclusion.