We Belong To History

Introduction

For 99.99% of human history (that number is accurate by the way I’ll explain later), people regularly put time and effort into maintaining and improving group cohesion.  

Where groups of people existed, effort went into regular activities which fostered a sense of belonging.

This helped to build trust but also mitigate stress which naturally occurs from working or living in groups.

In the modern workplace, cohesion, trust and an energetic sense of group togetherness could definitely be improved.

Belonging isn’t a cultural preference - it’s a biological need and when it’s missing, the brain treats it as a threat, increasing stress, hyper-vigilance and social self-doubt.

What is group bonding?

(Most of the research in this post comes from The Social Brain)

Our pre-human ancestors bonded through grooming, just like chimpanzees do today.

This is one-on-one daily ritual releases endorphins and fosters a bond between members of the group.

As human beings evolved and our group sizes increased to up to 150 - we developed new ways of bonding which involved larger groups of people.

These activities were, and still are:

• Laughter

• Singing

• Dancing

• Feasting

• Emotional storytelling

When we intentionally engage in these activities, we release endorphins which builds a connection to those around us. 

We made them a regular part of life through rituals which added further symbolic meaning.

This sense of unity cultivated trust and a collective energy that motivated us to co-operate.

Feasting, by the way, is eating and drinking socially. A proper social meal which creates group bonding is sharing a feast together.

With these activities in mind, how did people throughout history incorporate them?

Tribes and Taverns

For the majority of human existence - we lived in tribes with roughly 20 - 50 people - where group bonding activities were a constant.  

People would be singing and chanting throughout daily life and continue dancing and laughing around a fire at night.  

Storytelling would captivate audiences on a nightly basis and contribute to oral history, traditions and group identity. 

Life in early civilizations dominated by agriculture would automatically create a bond due to the rhythmic, side by side physical nature of work.

Religion brought people together to sing hymns on a weekly basis and taverns offered a central hub for bonding activities.

Life was seasonal with each period bringing different ceremonies, rituals, dances and feasts.

This type of community led lifestyle existed for most of human history, until recently.

Modern History

By the 1820s in Britain, mass migration, urbanisation and widespread use of factories was in full effect.  

Industrialisation suddenly made work mechanical and employers treated their workers as individuals - people were hired, paid and measured on their own merits as individuals.

Around the 1950s, the evolution of individualism accelerated which made competitiveness and personal success even more important.

Memberships of voluntary organisations declined including; churches. This stripped away a huge part of community life which offered a strong sense of belonging.

Communal singing and dancing also reduced along with seasonal rituals.

This shift in the last 200 years has had profound implications for the modern workplace.

Something's Missing

Our current approach to "team building" fails to meet our psychological needs.

Firstly, efforts are too infrequent. Away days every few months or quarterly off-sites aren't defusing tension and releasing group endorphins enough.

Secondly, they usually involve competition. Challenges or sport activate a performance mindset which feels like an extension of work.

Our brains constantly monitor social inclusion and with the absence of group cohesion we spend more time second guessing interactions and looking for threats.

For the last 200,000 - 300,000 years, the human brain structure has not evolved and we are biologically the same.

YOU ARE THE SAME TYPE OF PERSON WHO DANCED AROUND A CAMP FIRE TO BOND IN A TRIBE.

YOU ARE THE SAME TYPE OF PERSON WHO SANG SONGS AND DANCED DURING A MEDIEVAL FEAST.

It’s just our culture and attitudes have changed - but as humans we’re the same.

When organisations get it right it has a huge impact: productivity goes up by 56%, there's a 50% drop in staff turnover risk and a 75% reduction in sick days. (Value of Belonging HBR)

The 2021 World Happiness Report concluded by saying to make people feel happy at work, they need a sense of belonging.

We need to view this as something which we do: an activity which we take part in.

Japanese Culture

Japan offers us a fantastic, practical example.

In the mid to late 20th century - American business leaders were fascinated by the loyalty and performance of Japanese employees.

Around this time, Japan produced some of the world's most successful companies including Toyota, Sony, Hitachi etc.

These companies were experts at creating a sense of belonging and the culture was defined by collective team work, symbolic rituals of connection and focus on long-term project success.

One thing that contributed to this sense of unity was a morning ritual called Rajio Taisō where workers of all ages and seniority levels would do a 3 minute exercise together. 

This rhythmic movement in unison (similar to dancing) would gently release endorphins and foster group cohesion and improve collaboration.

This is a great example of belonging and the practical way to create it.

There is a huge opportunity for employers in the UK to fulfil this biological and psychological need … but how?  

Creating Belonging

British people are way too awkward to dance and sing at work. 

They also prefer Tesco meal deals to banquets.

One thing which we are actually quite good at and take pride in, is our sense of humour.

Laughter - the fastest way to release endorphins - and storytelling are two key drivers of connection and there is an infinite reservoir of both just waiting to be released.

Imagine if your company embraced group bonding this way.  

Firstly, everyone completed The Jester’s Method workshop programme, where they learned about different humour styles, which helped de-risk humour and make people feel more comfortable using it at work.

They also learnt about storytelling, group bonding and psychological safety.

Then, at a fortnightly ritual called The Jester’s Circle, everyone made time to connect.  Phones and laptops away - this is time for human connection.

Storytellers are given time to prepare and they are applauded and celebrated after sharing.  Other humour activities are incorporated from The Jester's Method which improves creativity and mental health.

Senior leaders get involved which shows their human side and you connect with people from different departments which helps with cross functional projects.

It relieves stress but also fosters a bond which you look forward to each time.

I understand some people would think this is ridiculous and we should just get on with it but human biology hasn’t changed - we belong to history in that respect.

"Just getting on with it" doesn't work anyway. Workplace stress, isolation, low productivity and poor employee engagement regularly hit the headlines highlighting "worker misery".

I’ve often thought about HS2 - a huge infrastructure project in Britain, infamous for delays and overspending

I bet the bosses haven’t put a moments thought into fostering group cohesion. You can just imagine the stress, competition, fear and blame going around.

Totally unproductive and ridiculous when you think about it.

It’s not fair either - people will be suffering under these conditions.

Conclusion

Modern technology is probably driving humans even further apart.

Now is a good time to re-learn what we’ve forgotten in the last 200 years and feel the joy of belonging again.

We should take it seriously - just like our ancestors did for 299,800 years before us.

To learn more about the Jester’s Method - reach out on jason@mybeast.life