In every workplace, informal groups form.
🎯 “The Friday drinks crew”
🎯 “The golf team”
🎯 “The inner circle”
These groups aren’t bad in themselves. They’re natural. But if we’re not careful, they create outgroups — colleagues who feel left out, unheard, and unseen.
Being in an outgroup isn’t just uncomfortable. It’s damaging:
🚫 Lower visibility
🚫 Fewer opportunities
🚫 Harsher judgment when things go wrong
🚫 Limited career progression due to lack of social capital
It’s especially harmful for those already underrepresented — who may feel they can’t or shouldn’t conform just to fit in.
💡 Inclusive leaders know this and take action to manage outgroup dynamics. That means:
🔍 Recognising the informal rules that shape who “belongs”
🤝 Creating deliberate opportunities for cross-group connection
🛠️ Allocating high-profile work equitably to challenge stigma
💬 Talking openly about ingroups and outgroups, rather than pretending they don’t exist
Inclusion doesn’t mean breaking up friendships. It means broadening the circle so no one’s always left outside it.
Want more practical ways to bring people together — without leaving others behind?
