03/13/2024

Why Leaders Must Seek to Bridge Our Societal Divides

Here are 10 principles to sustain everyday leadership

Societies across the West are divided and stuck. As revealed by the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer, Western societies are becoming increasingly polarized. The U.S. is severely polarized and the U.K., France, and the Netherlands are in danger of severe polarization. Canada, Ireland, and Australia are on a path to polarization.

What are the predictors of public perceptions of polarization? Among Australians, to consider just one Western society, the Edelman research finds that the strongest predictors are distrust in government and a perceived lack of shared identity.

It has been abundantly clear for years in Australia and around the world that ordinary people trust neither their political leaders nor their political institutions, such as political parties and government institutions, to act in the public interest. If anything, these actors and institutions are judged to amplify division.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Psychology Today.