FAIR Model for ERGs: Identities (Harvard Business School)
The myth of the “unified” ERG
We’ve talked about Resilience, Formality, and Audience. Now we arrive at the final tension in the Harvard Business School article: Identities. If you missed the previous newsletters, you can find them all here
This one can feel subtle…until it doesn’t.
There is often quiet pressure for ERGs to present as unified, clear, cohesive, singular. One voice. One experience. One narrative. But identity is rarely singular.
And when groups grow, whether through broader membership, new allies, or evolving definitions of who belongs (as shared in the Seramount research a couple weeks ago) those internal differences become more visible. What once felt cohesive can suddenly feel layered.
Within a Women’s ERG, there are differences in race, age, disability, sexuality, caregiving status, and career stage. Within an Asian ERG, there are different cultures, languages, and histories. Within a Pride ERG, lived experiences can vary widely depending on generation, geography, and visibility.
When we flatten those differences in the name of unity, we risk creating quiet disconnection. And when those differences surface (as they inevitably do) it can feel destabilizing. Someone says, “That doesn’t represent my experience,” and the room shifts.
But variation is not a threat to the ERG. It can be the point. We can design for differences and support building a strong ERG.
That might look like rotating facilitation. It might look like programming that highlights different subgroups over time. It might look like simply naming intersectionality out loud so members feel seen in their complexity.
Playful Work Design can support identity work in a very real way. Playfulness, as a stance, creates room for curiosity. It allows someone to say, “Tell me more,” instead of, “That’s not how we do things here.”
Before your next gathering, you might gently ask:
“Whose experience might we be unintentionally centering? And whose might we be missing?” Not to create guilt. Just awareness.
Awareness builds inclusion. Inclusion builds trust. Trust builds staying power.
Next week, I’ll send a final wrap-up connecting all four FAIR tensions together.
Weekly Reset
Borrow a page from applied improv this week.
In your next conversation, notice when your brain wants to say “But…”
Replace it with “Yes… and” or “Tell me more.”
As you continue building and refining your ERG, if you find yourself in need of programming or facilitation support, I’d be honored to partner with you. The work we do together is energizing, grounded in neuroscience, and designed to actually shift something and not just fill the calendar.
