LIVE: Overcoming Distrust and Building Trust in Polarized Communities

Today's polarization is a type of "affective distrust," where the parties do not merely say they disagree about a specific issue, they question the basic worldview and core values of the other party. Their distrust is now pervasive and all-encompassing. Positive events or indicators are ignored or dismissed, and negative ones are treated as true indicators.

Distrust and low trust are not the same and require different approaches to begin the repair process that is so essential to rebuilding our communities. Breaking distrust requires finding a crack in that armor, where the other party can be seen through a positive (or at least neutral lens). In a recent campaign for Utah Governor, the two candidates created a video where they stated that they agreed on core values but strongly disagreed about tactics. This begins to melt the distrust ice shield, then you can begin to build bridges and expand the trust domains - even when disagreements are real and significant.

In this live discussion and Q&A, Professor Sim Sitkin will explore the underpinnings of polarization, and the ways to tackle underlying distrust and begin to build constructive trust. Sitkin is the Michael W. Krzyzewski University Distinguished Professor of Leadership at Fuqua, and the director of the Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership & Ethics (COLE).