---
title: "Belonging As Infrastructure: Why Andrea Carter Says We’ve Been Doing Inclusion All Wrong"
description: Andrea Carter’s evidence-led framework shows how accessibility and psychological safety shape workplace belonging – and how inclusive leadership delivers.
author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2025-09-02T12:19:57.000Z
updated: 2026-10-08T14:17:41.270Z
canonical: https://richwoman.co/article/belonging-as-infrastructure-why-andrea-carter-says-we-ve-been-doing-inclusion-all-wrong
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/andrea-carter-red-glasses-2.jpg
categories: Female leadership
content_type: Feature
region: Ontario
publication: Rich Woman Magazine
about:
  - type: Organization
    name: Andrea D. Carter
    description: "Andrea D. Carter is an organisational scientist, Forbes Business Council member , and founder of Belonging First . Her groundbreaking research with 3,508 participants across 13 Toronto Stock Exchange companies represents the largest workplace belonging study in Canadian history, proving that traditional diversity approaches often make workplace culture worse, not better.\n\nCarter's neuroscience-based methodology has earned recognition including Top Strategic Advisor of the Year 2025 and measurable client results like 18% increases in employee engagement. As a TEDx speaker and thought leader, she transforms workplace culture by treating belonging as measurable infrastructure rather than feel-good initiatives."
    url: https://councils.forbes.com/profile/Andrea-Carter-CEO-Founder-Andrea-Carter-Consulting/efe4f605-e87d-4d88-bd24-3acce4c01ba9
---

Sarah adjusts her hearing aids and notices the captions aren’t working again on the meeting screen. The conference room table crowds her wheelchair closer to the wall than she’d prefer, and she watches the team leader interrupt three colleagues before she gets a chance to speak. It’s Tuesday morning, and she has something important to contribute about the accessibility features in their [new product design](https://richwoman.co/article/inside-canada-s-first-mock-embassy-how-black-youth-are-getting-a-seat-at-the-diplomatic-table).

![andrea carter red glasses 2](https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/andrea-carter-red-glasses-3.jpg)

‘Belonging isn’t a perk. It’s the infrastructure of innovation, retention and trust,’ says Andrea Carter, organisational scientist and adjunct professor who studies what makes workplaces genuinely inclusive.

Carter, founder of [Belonging First](https://belongingfirst.com) and recognised expert in workplace belonging, shared these insights on episode 36 of the [Ontario Disability Employment Network’s podcast](https://youcantspellinclusionwithoutad.podbean.com) ‘You Can’t Spell Inclusion Without a D.’ Her 2021 research validated five measurable indicators of belonging with data from 3,508 participants across 13 Toronto Stock Exchange companies, establishing a framework that helps organisations move beyond good intentions toward actual change.

What Carter discovered would challenge everything we think we know about workplace diversity. Traditional survey methods weren’t just failing to help underrepresented voices—they were actively silencing them.

‘We can refer to it as Outlier Treatment Bias,’ Carter explains, ‘though there isn’t an official name for it yet.’ The problem is mathematical but deeply personal. ‘Traditional statistical methods are designed to reduce variation by emphasising measures like the mean and median. In doing so, they systematically treat employees whose experiences diverge from the majority as noise in the dataset rather than as signals worth understanding.’

The implications hit close to home for anyone who’s ever felt invisible at work. ‘Marginalised employees are not only underrepresented in leadership and decision-making but statistically erased,’ Carter says. When your reality doesn’t match the ‘average employee experience,’ the data suggests you don’t matter.

## When Diversity Training Makes Things Worse

Carter’s biggest revelation came when she realised that many DEI programmes were actually making workplace culture more divisive, not less. ‘Leadership rolled out mandatory diversity training, tracked representation metrics, and promoted events during heritage months. But employees would tell us they felt pressure to fit in rather than being valued for their unique identities.’

One employee with multiple intersecting identities put it perfectly: ‘I’m included in the statistics, but my ideas don’t go anywhere.’

Instead of relying on quotas or theory-based training, Carter introduced something revolutionary—the Belonging First Methodology. Rather than asking people to change themselves, she focused on changing behaviours embedded in five measurable indicators.

‘Leaders began with small, everyday actions: greeting the team by name, looking up when they walked into a room, and ensuring each employee was allowed to contribute in meetings.’ The transformation was remarkable. ‘Six months later, survey data showed an 18% increase in employees reporting they felt their work was valued, and attrition in one high-turnover department dropped by 15%.’

## Five Indicators That Work Like A User Manual

Carter’s research identified five practical checkpoints that determine whether someone truly belongs at work. Most leaders think if people can speak up, they’ve solved the belonging puzzle. But psychological safety is just one piece.

‘The one that surprises executives most is Contribution,’ Carter reveals. ‘Leaders assume that recognition programmes cover the gap and that a “thank you” is enough to make someone feel valued. However, a simple “thank you” and a recognition email don’t equate to the value people seek for their contributions.’

She gives a telling example: ‘Employees reported receiving praise for specific feedback, but outside of that particular area, they were never consulted. They said, “I’m thanked for my input, but my ideas never go beyond the room they’re expressed in.”‘

The other four indicators Carter identified are equally crucial:

**Comfort** means the physical and social conditions that allow someone to relax enough to participate fully. **Connection** involves small rituals and moments that help people recognise and acknowledge each other as valued team members. **Wellbeing** encompasses workload and supports that keep someone healthy enough to show up consistently.

Each indicator works like infrastructure—when it functions properly, you barely notice it, but when it fails, everything becomes harder. Think of workplace accessibility the same way you think of plumbing: essential, systematic and requiring regular maintenance to serve everyone effectively.

## When Small Changes Create Big Shifts

Consider this composite example of how Carter’s framework works in practice. David, an employee with autism, rarely spoke during team meetings despite having valuable technical insights. His manager noticed he seemed uncomfortable and made three small changes: she shared agendas 24 hours in advance, ensured captions worked before each meeting, and explicitly asked for David’s input on technical decisions while taking notes that credited his contributions.

The difference was immediate. David started contributing detailed analysis that improved their software testing process. The advance agenda gave him comfort by reducing uncertainty. Working captions provided the connection he needed to follow rapid conversations. Direct acknowledgement of his contributions validated his expertise, while the leader’s note-taking created psychological safety by showing his input mattered enough to document. His wellbeing improved as he felt less drained by meetings where he couldn’t participate effectively.

Each change addressed multiple belonging indicators simultaneously, showing how thoughtful adjustments create compound effects that benefit entire teams. Like many professionals who [discover their voice when self-doubt falls away](https://richwoman.co/article/finding-your-voice-the-women-and-men-who-discovered-confidence-when-left-self-doubt-behind), David needed the right conditions to share his expertise confidently.

## The Hidden Cost of Performance in Distress

Carter’s neuroscience research revealed something troubling: ‘Performance without belonging is performance in distress.’ The cognitive cost is measurable and expensive.

‘Picture a board meeting,’ she explains. ‘A senior leader presents a flawed idea. A quieter voice in the room, one with more knowledge and training, shares why this could be problematic. They hesitated to speak, and before they could even reach a solution, they were interrupted. Their heart rate spikes, their working memory narrows, and instead of contributing insight, they self-censor. The organisation loses the benefit of their perspective.’

Carter worked with a manufacturing client whose production errors were consistently high. ‘What we found was that specific individuals possessed the expertise but didn’t feel safe challenging certain senior colleagues. The cognitive load was visible. They put off responses so they could use rehearsed language, they avoided eye contact, and they withheld information for fear of being ridiculed.’

After training leaders to respond with curiosity rather than dismissal, contribution scores rose 22%. ‘Within a quarter, the team reduced production errors by 18% because more voices were involved in quality decisions.’

## What Leaders Miss

‘Leaders often treat psychological safety as a stand-alone fix,’ Carter explains. Many organisations focus exclusively on encouraging people to speak up without addressing the structural barriers that make participation difficult or impossible. ‘Psychological safety opens the door for feedback. Belonging ensures the door is accessible.’

A leader might implement [anonymous feedback channels](https://www.gallup.com/workplace/employee-engagement) without providing accessible formats, creating a system that looks inclusive on paper but fails multiple belonging indicators. The feedback tool addresses psychological safety but ignores comfort, connection and contribution needs that determine whether people can actually use it. Effective leaders who understand [how small changes can create ripple effects](https://richwoman.co/article/big-changes-start-small-the-ripple-effect-of-listening-leaders-igniting-a-spark) know that listening comes before solutions.

## The Breakthrough That Changed Everything

Carter’s most ambitious project was convincing 13 Toronto Stock Exchange-listed mining companies to expose their culture vulnerabilities for the largest workplace study in Canadian history. ‘Convincing them required two things: trust and reciprocity,’ she explains. ‘We made it clear this was not an exposé, but a chance for them to benchmark themselves against the rest of the industry.’

What she discovered shocked even her. ‘Many companies had substantial diversity numbers. On paper, they looked successful. However, when we measured belonging, especially in terms of contribution, employees from certain groups consistently reported that their work was recognised, but their input was not acted upon.’

One company celebrated hitting gender diversity targets in leadership roles. ‘Yet women leaders scored nearly 20 points lower on contribution, saying things like, “I’m invited to the table, but my ideas are sidelined.” Additionally, women who were junior staff members reported the same problem with their female leaders.’

This discovery revealed something crucial: [representation without voice is just as damaging as exclusion](https://richwoman.co/article/in-conversation-with-dame-neslyn-watson-druee-sponsorship-fair-career-progression).

## The 50/50 Rule That Changes Everything

Carter’s most revolutionary insight challenges the traditional approach to workplace belonging entirely. Instead of telling employees to ‘fit in,’ she created what she calls ‘The Belonging Equation’—50% leaders, 50% employees.

‘We’ve been conditioned to adopt fitting in practices—behave like x and you are rewarded with y. Here’s the problem with that: Belonging is a human need, like hunger or thirst. When someone cannot fit because of elements beyond their control, and 100% responsibility lies with them to fit in, that’s a no-win situation.’

The shift in practice is profound. ‘In one client meeting, leaders shifted from asking for “updates” to starting with, “What support do you need?” That single change signalled comfort, connection, and care. Employees began responding with honesty, offering help to peers, and following through on commitments.’

## The Canadian Reality

Carter’s approach matters particularly in Canada, where [Statistics Canada data](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/230830/dq230830a-eng.htm) shows an employment rate of 65.1% for people aged 16 to 64 with disabilities compared to 80.1% for those without disabilities. That 15 percentage point gap represents thousands of talented people whose contributions remain undervalued or inaccessible to employers.

Everyday accessibility decisions—from meeting formats to performance review processes—directly influence whether organisations can access this talent pool. Leadership accountability and systematic measurement become essential tools for moving beyond token efforts toward genuine inclusion that creates competitive advantage. Modern workplaces benefit when leaders embrace [inclusive leadership as a pathway to collective progress](https://richwoman.co/article/leadership-re-imagined-new-book-celebrates-feminist-leadership-as-a-pathway-to-collective-hea) rather than treating it as an optional extra.

## Where To Start This Week

Leaders can begin implementing Carter’s framework immediately with five practical steps:

- **Comfort:** Share meeting agendas 24 hours in advance and check that assistive technology works before sessions begin
- **Connection:** Create small rituals that acknowledge individual contributions, such as starting meetings by highlighting recent wins from different team members
- **Contribution:** Explicitly credit ideas and input in meeting notes and project documentation
- **Psychological safety:** Run brief wellbeing check-ins that ask how people are doing without requiring personal disclosure
- **Measurement:** Survey your team monthly using simple questions tied to each belonging indicator

For deeper guidance, [disability organisations like ODEN](https://www.odenetwork.com) provide resources and training, while Andrea Carter offers consulting that helps organisations implement systematic belonging measurement. Teams that prioritise [supportive culture and employee wellbeing](https://richwoman.co/article/where-empathy-begins-the-human-factor-behind-healthcare) often see the strongest results.

Six months later, Sarah speaks first at Tuesday meetings. Her accessibility insights have improved three product launches, and she’s leading the company’s new inclusive design initiative. The captions work consistently, the meeting room layout accommodates everyone comfortably, and leaders actively seek her input on technical decisions. Small structural choices built the belonging that unleashed her expertise.

**About Andrea D. Carter**

Andrea D. Carter is an organisational scientist, Forbes Business Council member , and founder of Belonging First . Her groundbreaking research with 3,508 participants across 13 Toronto Stock Exchange companies represents the largest workplace belonging study in Canadian history, proving that traditional diversity approaches often make workplace culture worse, not better.

Carter's neuroscience-based methodology has earned recognition including Top Strategic Advisor of the Year 2025 and measurable client results like 18% increases in employee engagement. As a TEDx speaker and thought leader, she transforms workplace culture by treating belonging as measurable infrastructure rather than feel-good initiatives.

[Website](https://councils.forbes.com/profile/Andrea-Carter-CEO-Founder-Andrea-Carter-Consulting/efe4f605-e87d-4d88-bd24-3acce4c01ba9)