The Belonging Breakthrough: Unlocking True Inclusion

Organizations worldwide are striving to create more inclusive workplaces, yet many struggle with fostering real engagement. Research (Caligiuri et al., 2020) in the university setting highlights that structured interventions—like guided conversations and ongoing collaboration—significantly improve integration. This is not just a university challenge; it’s a workplace imperative.

When employees from different backgrounds don’t feel a sense of belonging, they disengage, innovation suffers, and turnover increases. Conversely, when organizations facilitate meaningful interactions, employees experience greater psychological safety, stronger professional networks, and improved collaboration. These benefits extend beyond the individual to impact team effectiveness and overall company performance.

How myGiide Helps Organizations Build Inclusion

At Skiilify, we recognize that cultural agility—the ability to work effectively across cultures—isn’t innate. It must be developed. That’s why we created myGiide, a digital tool designed to help professionals and students build cultural self-awareness and strengthen key competencies like perspective-taking, resilience, and relationship-building.

Similar to the semester-long experiential activities studied in academic research, myGiide provides structured, guided interactions that help individuals navigate cultural differences in a psychologically safe way. By engaging with myGiide, users can:

✔ Gain insights into their own cultural values and how they shape interactions

✔ Develop the skills needed to foster deeper relationships across differences

✔ Build the confidence to engage meaningfully with diverse colleagues and clients

Turning Research into Action

The findings on international student integration offer a blueprint for fostering belonging in any environment. Whether in universities or corporate settings, organizations can implement similar principles by:

• Starting Early: Integrate structured relationship-building activities into onboarding and team formation.

• Focusing on Commonalities: Encourage employees to explore shared interests before discussing differences.

• Creating Social Ease: Provide semi-structured interactions that facilitate natural conversations.

• Meeting Regularly: Establish ongoing opportunities for cross-cultural engagement, rather than one-off events.

Belonging isn’t a perk—it’s a driver of engagement, retention, and innovation. As the workplace becomes increasingly global, fostering cultural agility is no longer optional. With myGiide, organizations can take a proactive approach, ensuring that every team member—not just the naturally outgoing or culturally experienced—feels supported, included, and ready to thrive.

Want to build cultural agility in your organization? Let’s start the conversation. Learn more at Skiilify.com.