Building belonging and a world of possibility
Everyone knows how it feels to not belong — to be "othered." Some are othered because of the way they look, some because of their socioeconomic status or even their beliefs. Othering can happen to anyone, based on any of their identities or experiences, and it holds us all back.
The effects of belonging are just as powerful. When we treat each other with mutual respect and support, and work together across our differences to shape our world and our future, the possibilities of what we can do are truly limitless.
It has been my privilege to lead Google’s equity-building efforts, and I see belonging as a natural progression of this work. We're inspired by the work of john a. powell, a distinguished expert on belonging, as we move into this next chapter of our journey: building a world where everyone can belong.
As the maker of products used by billions of people every day, we see this as a core responsibility. To deliver, we’re focused on the areas where we can have the greatest impact: building belonging at work, in our products, and in society. Because the barriers people experience look different in different places, we’ve first applied this approach to our work in the U.S. and look forward to building on what we learn as we extend it around the world.
A world where everyone belongs is one we can only build together. We are grateful for what we’ve learned from our partners, and hopeful that in sharing it, we can help others accelerate their progress as well. In that spirit, here are five principles guiding our work:
Belonging unlocks possibility for all.
Belonging expands on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Co-creation is essential to belonging.
It takes targeted strategies to help everyone belong.
The road to belonging is ever evolving.
Explore more of our belonging work
As AI expands what's possible, we're committed to developing it in a responsible way.
Explore our AI Principles (Opens in a New Browser Tab)Helping Googlers feel comfortable to collaborate, innovate, and do their best work
Learn about our efforts in the workplaceIllustrations by Camilo Huinca