While the days of hunting for food have gone, human beings still need to work together to thrive in business and in life, writes Susanne Jacobs
Have you ever been excluded from a circle of friends or not invited to a party? Have you ever thought that the conversation you saw between two friends or colleagues was about you? How did it feel?
Now think of the group of people you most belong to – your family or a close group of friends, the place you go where ‘everyone knows your name’. Put the scene in your mind's eye and tap into how you feel. What if I said you could have all the money you’d ever need but you’d never see another person again – would you accept the offer?
Humans are, first and foremost, social creatures. Over our evolutionary journey we have survived and thrived because we have worked together for mutual protection and support. We are far stronger together than on our own.
Our ability to collaborate since the dawn of man has allowed us to rise to the top of the evolutionary tree despite our relatively puny physiques. We have no claws, no huge teeth, we can’t run particularly fast and our young cannot fend for themselves for much of their early lives. It was only because of another human being looking after our infant selves that we survived the first part of our life’s journey.
Without each other we would have perished, and our need for belonging, social support and interaction is just as important today, although we are far removed from the habitat of our ancestors.
Nowadays, everyday life is not as dependent on banding together. We pop to the supermarket rather than hunt together for food, and houses are built by contractors rather than working in a group to build a shelter. But while we may not believe that we need our friends to survive from day to day, from a physical standpoint the biological wiring and need for them is just as powerful in the modern context as it has been over the millennia of our evolution.
Such is the impact from a lack of connection that, over time, our health would suffer. In fact, research carried out by John Cacioppo has shown that loneliness, the final resting place of lost connection, is more lethal in relation to the odds of dying early than excessive alcohol consumption or obesity.
Exclusion triggers the brain’s circuitry and actually activates the same areas as physical pain does; it's why being left out is described as hurting, because it really does. And it’s also why I was not surprised when several of my friends who have lived in the UK for many years, but were born in mainland Europe, independently described their deep sense of discomfort the day of the Brexit result – feeling that they were no longer wanted. It’s not true of course, but it is an example of how our brains react to perceived exclusion.
These theories matter because the foundation of all successful business is successful relationships. As we move more to virtual teams and flexible workplaces within international market places, the need to place an emphasis on connection and a sense of belonging is vital. It is a key intrinsic motivational driver and builds work environments of trust from which sustainable performance will result.
Susanne Jacobs is programme director at the Positive Group